Take stock

Container traffic at Kenya’s main port of Mombasa recorded 11.9% growth in cargo handled in the first half of 2017, according to a Reuters report.

Data released by the Kenya Ports Authority shows the port handled 15 million tons of cargo between January and June, compared to the 13.4 million tons handled in the same period last year. This, after the country commissioned a second container terminal at US$300 million, providing an additional cargo-handling capacity of 550 000 TEUs per year.

The first six months of the year also saw a 12% increase in imports, at 12.7 million tons handled compared to 11.3 million in 2016.

Meanwhile, the port (which is a major trade gateway in East Africa, handling imports such as fuel for Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and the DRC) recorded 0.5% growth in exports, from 1.86 million tons in 2016 to 1.87 million tons.