Clients awaiting shipments to Dar es Salaam are facing significant delays due to a barge that has been stranded along Nyali Creek in Mombasa for over two months. The barge, which ran aground on May 29 with 209 containers, remains immobilized, causing disruptions in the delivery of goods.
The vessel, operated by Comarco Group and chartered by Messina Shipping Line, has been stuck since it ran aground. Efforts to retrieve the barge have been minimal, with neither Comarco, Messina Shipping Line, nor the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) providing updates or addressing the situation publicly.
This week, the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), responsible for overseeing the Kenyan maritime sector, expressed concerns over the delay. KMA maritime research officer John Omondi reported that the Comarco barge 3652, which was being towed by MV Northwind, became stranded after breaking away on May 21. Local company Alpha Logistics attempted to intervene but faced challenges due to adverse sea conditions, including strong winds and high swells.
Omondi stated, “We have been monitoring the delay in salvaging the vessel. The operators have cited high tides as a reason for the delay, but we have urged relevant authorities to resume the salvage operation to prevent further environmental damage.”
KMA has been conducting risk assessments to mitigate potential environmental impacts and has advised cargo owners to seek alternative methods to unload their goods. On the day the vessel ran aground, KPA suspended salvage efforts due to safety concerns and has been waiting for better weather conditions to resume operations.
The barge became stranded despite warnings from port control and local pilots about adverse weather conditions. Mombasa Port has been employing smaller vessels to enhance cargo transshipment to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Comoros. This strategy has helped increase cargo throughput from 1.43 million metric tonnes in 2021 to 1.62 million metric tonnes in 2023.
In response to these challenges, the government is considering chartering vessels to handle local transshipments and recover over Sh600 billion in revenue currently lost to foreign-registered vessels annually. Mombasa Port handles more than two million containers each year.
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