International shipping line Contship Ono Starts Operations at the Port of Mombasa

Contship Ono, one of the leading global shipping lines is set to start its operations at the Mombasa Port, with its vessel MV Contship Ono making a maiden stop at Mombasa on Saturday, May 9. This comes as a major boost to the port.

Sailing under the flag of Cyprus, the shipping line started its services in Africa with the maiden call at the port of Mombasa which is the gateway to East and Central Africa and is one of the busiest ports in the region.

MV Contship Ono was hired by CMA CGM Limited, a French container transportation and shipping company seeking to expand its presence in Kenya.

Thierry Bidau, the CMA CGM Managing Director said that the service would provide a much-needed boost for the export market despite the challenging business environment.

“We operate one of the largest container fleets that answer the demand of Kenya’s avocado producers to reach their European markets and export commodities like tea and coffee will also reach their buyers in good time, ” Bidau said.

Edward Opiyo, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Head of Container Operations, was on-site to receive the vessel at the Berth 21.

Opiyo said the arrival of the foreign ship for the first time in the region underscores Mombasa’s appeal as a potential hub for containerized cargo.

According to Mr. Opiyo, KPA container terminals have the capacity to handle larger and latest generation container vessels, which has strengthened Mombasa’s position not just as a gateway but also as a transshipment center.

“We are happy that the arrival of this giant container ship and many more to come will bring more business to Mombasa and the larger East African region,” he said.

He added that the first container delivery is important to the port of Mombasa since it confirms interests from foreign leading container logistics and transport companies in Mombasa a gateway for containerized cargo in the region

Currently, China is the leading source market for imports handled at the port of Mombasa. At least 60 percent of imports are shipped from China.

However, operations have slowed drastically at the port following the outbreak of Covid-19, which has affected transportation across the globe.

“But the maiden call of Contship Ono is an indication that business will be slowly improving in the coming weeks and months as global shipping lines resume operations,” Opiyo said.

Also, ports in China are resuming operations, meaning things are likely to get better for the Mombasa port in the upcoming weeks.

Further, KPA has also started on-line cargo documentation processes to enable customers to clear cargo electronically and reduce human traffic within the port facility, in adherence to the social distancing rules.

As a result of the e-clearing, the turnaround times for ships have been reduced to two days from three days.