By Brian Okoth
Kenya’s Port of Mombasa has lost its shine to the neighbouring Port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, according to the latest ports ranking commissioned by the World Bank.
Dar es Salaam Port ranked position 312 in the world, ahead of Port of Mombasa (326).
The Port of Djibouti remained Africa’s most efficient port, placed at position 26 in the world.
In the Horn of Africa and the entire continent, the Port of Berbera in Somaliland came in second, behind Djibouti, and number 144 globally.
In Africa, Dar came at position 25, and Mombasa at position 29.
The Port of Conakry in Guinea was ranked Africa’s third-best anchorage and number 189 in the world.
Conakry was followed by Dakar, Senegal (number 196 in the world), Matadi, DRC (197), Tema, Ghana (205), Mogadishu, Somalia (221), Beira, Mozambique (223), Freetown, Sierra Leone (226) and Madagascar’s Toamasina port, which rounds out Africa’s 10 most efficient ports. Toamasina is ranked at position 227 in the world.
The Container Port Performance Index 2022 (CPPI) highlighted the ports’ efficiency strengths.
The indexing looked at the total elapsed time from when a vessel enters the anchorage zone to when it departs, having completed its cargo exchange.
In 2021, the Port of Mombasa was ranked position 296 in the world, while the Port of Dar es Salaam was ranked 361. Dar has since jumped 49 positions to number 321, while Kenya has dropped 30 positions.
In 2022, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said in a report that the Port of Mombasa had, for the first time in five years, experienced a decline in cargo volume.
Total cargo at the port shrunk to 33.74 million tonnes in 2022, from 34.76 million tonnes the year before, said the KNBS.
The Port of Dar es Salaam appears to have eaten into Kenya’s share, prompting the Kenyan government to extend the free storage period for container cargo handled in Mombasa and dry ports upcountry to ward off competition.
“Cargo handled at the port [of Mombasa] and at different inland container depots have been offered 15 days free period from the current nine days while traders choosing to use Naivasha ICD will be given 30 days from the current nine,” the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said in a March 2023 statement.
After the expiry of the 15 days, containers which overstay for between 16 and 21 days are charged $30 per day for 20 feet containers and $60 for 40 feet containers.
KPA charges $45 for cargo that stays for more than 21 days for 20 feet container and $90 for 40 feet container.
High transportation costs, increasing road tolls, multiple border charges and road conditions were identified as factors that lead to higher costs for transporters on the Northern Corridor, which Dar es Salaam is taking advantage to cut into Kenya’s market.
China’s Yangshan Port was ranked as the most efficient anchorage in the entire world in 2022, according to the World Bank.
