Business at the port of Mombasa has slowed down over the last two days following the ongoing heavy rains in some parts of the country.
The conventional cargo section which handles mainly break-bulk cargo especially fertiliser is the most affected area.
Yesterday the rain subsided enabling the discharge of fertiliser from three ships, according to the Kenya Ports Authority. However, KPA said one ship offloaded only 262 metric tonnes of fertiliser in a shift compared to 1,000 tonnes that can be handled in a normal shift.
Cargo holds of the vessels had to be shut to prevent the fertiliser from getting damaged by the rains.
“A slow off-take of the bagged fertiliser was also visible as a result of a lower number of trucks that turned up for business. At the main Container Terminal, operations were going on but equally on a slower pace,” KPA head of corporate affairs Bernard Osero said in a statement.
The ship operations were dealt a big blow as visibility remained poor while crane operations were slowed down because of slippery condition, Osero added.
Operators were reportedly making 28 to 30 movers per hour per ship crane as compared to 35 to 40 movers per ship crane per hour in a normal day.
“Cargo trucks and terminal tractors movement along the quayside and around the yard was unusually slow. The rains have been on since 1 am starting with the second shift. The better part of the morning saw two shifts severely affected,” Osero said.
Marine services were also affected as pilotage and mooring operations were slowed by poor visibility at sea.
Source: The Star

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