Business News
Plan set to revamp operations at Mombasa port in the offing
Ministry of Trade intends to roll out a three-month strategy to hasten harbour procedures in order to stem extra costs on imports. Photo/GIDEON MAUNDU
Posted Monday, January 16 2012 at 19:55
The government has announced a three month program to speed up operations at the port of Mombasa in a move to avert losses to importers and stop additional charges on imported goods.
Under the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) whose various measures will be implemented over the next 100 days, the ministry hopes to speed up cargo handling processes which is expected to translate into cheaper imports.
“Despite the measures that the government has taken to ensure that the port operates for 24 hours, the facility continues to experience challenges. While the container backlog at the port was compounded by slow cargo clearance over the Christmas period, there is clearly a need to dramatically improve the operational efficiency at the port hence a resolution to launch a Rapid Results Initiative as part of a short term strategy to address the situation at the port,” said transport permanent secretary Cyrus Njiru.
The RRI is a brainchild of a meeting of various agencies that play role in operations of the port including the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Maritime Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services, Kenya Urban Roads Authority and Security Agencies that took place last Friday.
Among measures that are set for implementation under the RRI include; a grant of waivers on storage as incentives for the identified cargo for quick evacuation from the port and to provide additional 100 to 200 wagons and avail three trains to operate daily during this period for quick evacuation.
Also, to have a fully operational and enhanced all weather verification shed by the lapse of the RRI period that is expected to put to a halt frequent interruption to the cargo clearance process by the rains.
The initiative also compels owners of container freight stations (CFSs) to evacuate all containers assigned to their yards within 48 hours or risk losing their licenses.
About 5,928 containers whose identity is not documented lie at the port.
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