NAIROBI, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Container traffic at Kenya's main seaport surged 8.97 percent in the first five months of 2023 thanks to the completion of a second container terminal, the ports authority said on Friday.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said in a statement issued from the coastal city of Mombasa that the facility received 648,692 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), up from 595,319 TEUs recorded in the similar period in 2022.
"This performance has surpassed the set target of 27,973 TEUs or 4.5 percent, implying that the port of Mombasa is likely to realize an annual container traffic of 1.48 million TEUs by the end of the year," the KPA said.
The hike strengthens the confidence in the Standard Gauge Railway cargo train, which has emerged as the preferred transportation for hauling containers inland.
The KPA said there has been a positive trajectory in container traffic in the last three months, with March and April recording the highest TUEs at 132,119 and 138,373, respectively.
Sudi Mwasinago, general manager for cargo operations at the KPA, said the deployment of new yard equipment alongside the launch of the new container terminal has tremendously improved ship operations. ■