From air to sea: Kenya’s export plans take a new turn

Climate change is becoming a painful reality around the world, and countries are working hard to cope with it.

Transport and logistics are two of the major fronts in the fight against climate change. Air transport of goods, especially perishable goods, is rapidly becoming obsolete due to Businessmen embrace the sea Freight.

New technological advances ensured that ships no longer burned fossil fuels, but used sails to transport cargo, making the idea of ​​using ships in large numbers seem sensible.

William Ruto, Managing Director of Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), said in an interview Shipping and Logistics Kenya is also taking this route because it is the most sustainable.

Ruto explained that as people gradually move away from fossil fuels such as oil and coal, shifting from air transport to sea transport is the most viable way to combat climate change.

He noted that the Kenya Ports Authority is currently taking steps to ensure that the Port of Mombasa is ready to handle the large volumes of cargo that are expected to be shipped once Kenya achieves full air-to-sea access.

Ruto said KPA has installed 1,557 Refrigerator plug point There are inland container terminal yards at the Port of Mombasa, Nairobi and Naivasha. Exporters will use these yards to store perishable goods during transit before loading them on ships.

He noted that modern ships that do not use fossil fuels will be equipped with power plugs that can be charged in port.

“We have invested in solar energy and the port has generated 750 kilowatt-hours of electricity,” Ruto said. “We have also invested in environmentally friendly cargo handling equipment such as hybrid rubber-tyred gantry cranes and environmentally friendly hoppers, as well as gantry cranes.”

He said KPA had developed a remote cold storage management system that would allow for real-time monitoring. “We have an electronic cargo tracking system that can track containers in real time,” Ruto said.

Ruto said to ensure quick turnaround for trucks carrying perishable goods, KPA has created priority lanes at entry points and scanning points for trucks carrying refrigerated containers carrying perishable goods.

He claimed that this provided a green channel for all export trucks carrying horticultural produce as the authority updated its standard operating procedures and service level agreements with key stakeholders.

He stressed that this will ensure that perishable goods entering the port leave in the shortest possible time. Ruto explained that KPA will explore better ways to reduce transportation costs and make the Port of Mombasa a reliable option for shipping companies.

He said that due to high operational efficiency and the operational connection between terminals and trains, goods can reach their destinations in a very short time.

As traders turn to sea freight, KPA is conducting studies to find out how to reduce sea freight charges. “A refrigerated container from Kenya to Europe costs $9,400 (Sh1.2 million). The same container from Chile, Mexico and Peru to Europe costs $5,000 (Sh647,500); South Africa pays $8,000 (Sh1 million),” Ruto said.

He explained that the border crossing The shortest sea freight time is 24 days, the longest is 35 days, and the average is 28 days.

However, he said it is important to note that improved atmosphere control in modern refrigerated containers can support longer transit times.

Studies have shown that the quality of ocean freight is equal to or better than air freight.

The general manager said that as the tide turned toward ports due to climate issues, the Korea Port Authority has formulated a green port policy for conducting operations to reduce environmental pollution.

He said some of the interventions the KPA has taken to combat climate change include planting mangroves on the coast as carbon absorbers, after studies showed that mangroves absorb twice as much carbon emissions as regular trees.

“We have planted trees such as mangroves in six coastal counties as carbon absorbers,” Ruto said.