News / Port chaos at Mombasa after Dar es Salaam closes amid civil unrest

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Vessels are redirecting vessel calls from Tanzanian ports to Mombasa, in neighbouring Kenya, after unrest following the recent general election in Tanzania, slammed as a “sham” by the opposition.

Today, Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, fwas sworn in amid tight security in a ceremony closed to the public and the country’s main container gateway of Dar es Salaam closed.

Sources in East Africa confirmed to The Loadstar that having begun rejecting vessel calls on Friday, the port remains shuttered with vessels being rerouted to Mombasa, where queues were forming with no indication of how long the situation may last.

Kenyan outlet The Daily Nation, was reporting that the closure of Dar es Salaam port was creating “immediate disruptions across East African supply chains, affecting multiple commodity sectors and regional trade networks”.

Agayo Ogambi, CEO of the Shippers Council of East Africa, said Mombasa had already been contending with an excess of vessels calling, and the closure of neighbouring Dar es Salaam would compound existing issues.

“Shippers are already reviewing their schedules, and we expect to see delays and congestion in Mombasa. I ask traders to follow closely communications from their shipping lines,” said Mr Ogambi, noting expectations of an increase in cargo at competing ports.

Vespucci Maritime CEO Lars Jensen noted on LinkedIn: “Supply chain problems in East Africa are escalating in the two largest countries, Kenya and Tanzania. The port of Mombasa is suffering from delays due to a longer period of adverse weather conditions.”

Data from Marine Traffic indicates that, as of lunchtime today (3 November), some 16 ships are waiting off the Tanzanian coast, with a further 19 moored around the port of Dar es Salaam – “a lot for the size of the port”, one source told The Loadstar – while 26 are anchored at Mombasa.

Of these, Congestion Watch indicated that 20 were containerships accounting for almost 64,000 teu, and 16 box ships were anchored or at port in Dar es Salaam, amounting to more than 48,000 teu.

Coming as part of a wider national shutdown, with Tanzania in a communications blackout, the decision was taken on Friday to close the port and send employees home over safety fears as unrest around Ms Hassan’s re-election grew.