TRADE: Rwandan cargo stuck at Mombasa port

Simba Supermarket one of the biggest retail supermarket in Rwanda said they had ordered items from Italy and if they expired, the trader is likely to lose about $27,000. Due to the congestion crisis of trucks at the Mombassa port, the business of Rwandan traders like others who use the Nothern corridal has been negatively affected. The port has experienced the piling up of undocumented containers waiting to be cleared. According to a Rwandan business operator who preffered not to be mentioned the problem has been there since July and it has negatively affected business in the country. “We import food items for the supermarket, the container has been at the port for about three months and if the crisis persists they might expire,” he said. The source who is a share holder in Simba Supermarket one of the biggest retail supermarket in Rwanda said they had ordered items from Italy and if they expired, the trader is likely to lose about $27,000. The port experiences congestion as vessels flood the facility with cargo posing challenges to operators in clearing the boom. Recently port stakeholders introduced a 24-hour port operation as the the new working system to increase the rate of cargo release from the port. Information from The Standard news paper, indicates that Kenya Ports Authority requires TSh1.5 billion to purchase cargo handling equipment for the container terminal to boost the 24-hour operations, which involves shifting containers and loading them onto trucks. Trucks collecting cargo within 24 hours have reportedly risen from 400 before introduction of the new working schedule to about 700. Mombasa is a major port and serves as a gateway for neighboring countries. Ends

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TRADE: Rwandan cargo stuck at Mombasa port