AFRICA VIEWPOINT
COVID-19 IMPACTS PORT OPERATIONS Photo: KPA
East Africa's biggest port Mombasa has been labelled as a hotspot for Covid-19, but it is fighting back with increased efficiency writes Shem Oirere
8 Health personnel extracting nose samples from a KPA employee during a Covid-19 testing exercise at the port of Mombasa
At the beginning of the pandemic, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which operates the Port of Mombasa, was forced to suspend all operations except core ones of loading and unloading of exports and imports. This was following two senior staff succumbing to Covid-19 related complications and several others being found to be in infected. The Kenyan government, working with other East Africa Community (EAC) State partners, including Tanzania and Uganda, also promulgated new regulations for truckers picking and dropping cargo at Mombasa so as to enhance safety of drivers and reduce chances of spreading the Covid-19 infections across the East African region.
And it has streamlined its operations in the process becoming more efficient and greener in a number of ways. “We have enabled our online cargo documentation processes to facilitate our customers to clear cargo electronically and decongest human traffic within the port,” says Mr Rashid Salim, acting managing director KPA. In addition, ships docking at the Port of Mombasa are now required “to declare their crew health status and the last ten ports of call.” “Those that came from countries infected by coronavirus are subjected to rigorous inspection and crews are not allowed to get off the vessel,” Mr Salim adds.
‘We have enabled our online cargo documentation processes to facilitate our customers to clear cargo electronically and decongest human traffic within the port - Rashid Salim
GREEN ISSUES Mr Salim says KPA will insist on strict compliance with the international treaty for garbage control at sea, referred to also as MARPOL 73/78 Annex V for all vessels especially those from high rates of Covid-19. “Garbage from vessels arriving from confirmed Covid-19 countries will not be allowed to be discharged at any Kenyan port,” he says. At the moment the Port of Mombasa does not have adequate facilities to handle waste from ships although a comprehensive waste management plan for the port is in the works. The number of vessels calling at the Port of Mombasa has been increasing with KPA reporting 1,696 vessels in 2018/2019 up from the previous 1,661 vessels. Although this translates into more marine revenue it also exerts pressure on KPA to effectively address likely surge of ship waste. Mr Salim also warns that the suspension of operations at the port except for the loading and unloading of imports and exports because of Covid-19 could impact delivery levels of its Green Port Policy activities This includes projects such as the Mombasa Resilient Infrastructure Programme that includes environmental interventions in the water sector.
Entry of truckers to the Port of Mombasa was banned for drivers who have not been tested and issued with Covid-19 free certificate within 48 hours of entry. REDUCED OPERATIONS, INCREASED EFFICIENCY Normally the port handles annual container traffic of more than 1.4 million teu with an estimated total of 31.479 million tonnes of cargo. It is the main gateway for exports and imports for the rest of East Africa with transit cargo going to Uganda (82%), South Sudan (7.6%), Democratic Republic of Congo (4.9%), Tanzania (2.6%), Rwanda (2.4%) and Burundi (0.2%). In order to keep cargo moving, the port management has launched measures such as scheduled fumigation of key equipment, operation areas, offices and workshops to keep cargo passing through the port.
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SUMMER 2020 | 25
