The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has moved to avert a total logistics paralysis at the Port of Mombasa by banning the direct loading of empty containers onto ships. The drastic directive, issued in conjunction with the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), aims to unclog the severe congestion that threatens to choke the gateway to East Africa.

Mombasa has been grappling with a mountain of empty containers that are not being evacuated fast enough by shipping lines. This backlog has eaten up vital yard space, delaying the offloading of fresh imports and forcing trucks to wait for days to drop off empties. The new order requires all empties to be routed through designated depots before they can be considered for export, effectively decentralizing the mess.

The Standoff

The crisis has pitted the port authorities against shipping lines and truckers. "We are being fined KSh 30,000 by NTSA for parking on the road shoulders, yet the depots are full and the port won't take the boxes," lamented Musa Mbira, a representative of the truckers. "Where are we supposed to take these containers? To our living rooms?"

KMA Director General Omae Nyarandi insists the measure is necessary to enforce efficiency. "Shipping lines must take responsibility for their equipment. They cannot treat the port as a free storage yard," he stated. The authority has also introduced "sweeper vessels" dedicated solely to evacuating the empty boxes to free up space.

• The Impact: The congestion is driving up the cost of doing business. Importers are paying higher demurrage charges, costs that are ultimately passed down to the consumer in the form of higher prices for goods like cooking oil and electronics.
• The Lamu Option: KPA is aggressively pushing for shipping lines to use the Port of Lamu for transshipment to relieve pressure on Mombasa, but uptake remains sluggish due to security concerns and road infrastructure gaps.

A Regional Headache

The ripple effects are being felt as far away as Kampala and Kigali. The Northern Corridor, the lifeline of the regional economy, depends on the fluidity of Mombasa. When Mombasa sneezes, the region catches a cold. Ugandan traders have already started diverting some cargo to Dar es Salaam, citing the unpredictability of the Kenyan route.

This latest directive is a stop-gap measure, a tourniquet on a bleeding wound. Until the systemic issues of yard capacity and evacuation protocols are fixed, the "empties" crisis will continue to haunt the port. KPA’s gamble to ban direct loading might clear the yards temporarily, but without a long-term strategy, the mountain of steel boxes will simply pile up elsewhere.