Mombasa (Kenya)

Mombasa is Kenya's principal seaport (locode KEMBA), the cruise port to Nairobi (country's capital) and Kenya's second-largest city by population (around 1,2 million, metro over 3,5 million). Port Mombasa is on Africa's Indian Ocean coast, located on a bay and featuring a large deepwater natural harbor (Kilindini Harbour). Its location makes it a key cargo port on the shipping trade routes between Arabia, Africa and India.

The distance between Port Mombasa and Nairobi City is approx 490 km (300 mi) via Mombasa Road, or ~8 hours drive.

In Kenya, tourism accounts for ~4,4% of the GDP (gross domestic product), ranking the country East Africa's 3rd-largest tourism destination (after South Africa and Nigeria). According to the country's Tourism Cabinet Secretary, the USA has overtaken the UK as Kenya's top tourist source market. The number of tourists from India is also steadily increasing (~55,000 according to stats for January-October 2016). In the same period, South African tourists were ~28,000.

Mombasa is Kenya's oldest city, as well as the seaport serving for landlocked Uganda and northeastern Tanzania. The city incorporates the Old Mombasa (on a small offshore island) and the bigger mainland metropolis connected to the isle via a bridge, causeway and ferries.

Behind the contemporary Mombasa lies a long and rich history. Don't miss the opportunity to see its intricate mosques and ornate Hindu temples, imposing Fort Jesus (created in 1593 by the Portuguese), and the maze-like lanes of the old Mombasa town, with their massive studded wooden doors and glimpses of the old harbor. Nearby are the beaches of the dazzling Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, or some may prefer to enjoy a safari to one of the renowned Game Reserves or National Parks, among them a moving 'fly-in' visit to spectacular Masai Mara.

Port Mombasa

Kilindini Harbour is a vast, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa. Its max draft is 55 m (180 ft) and serves as the harbor for Mombasa City, with hinterland extending to Uganda. This harbor is the main part of Port Mombasa - Kenya's only international seaport and East Africa's largest cargo port.

Kilindini Harbour is managed by KPA (Kenya Ports Authority). Apart from cargo handling, the city of Mombasa is visited by cruise ships. "Kilindini" is an ancient Swahili term meaning "deep". The port is so named as the channel is naturally very deep. The harbor is an example of a natural geographic phenomenon ("a ria") formed millions of years when the sea level rose and engulfed a river flowing from mainland Africa.

The port is visited by smaller-sized cruise vessels (passenger capacity up to 1000) usually operating on Indian Ocean itineraries. Statistics show that Kenya's record year was 2004 when the port handled a total of 42 ship calls and over 15,000 passengers. In 2013, the cruise port was visited by 6 ships, bringing around 3,000 passengers.

Statistical data showed that the number of tourists arriving in Mombasa (by air and cruise) in the period January-October 2016 was 729,682, or an increase of 16,1% over 2015 (628,345 tourists). In October 2016, approx 1880 cruise tourists arrived on mainly small-sized luxury ships, including Oceania Nautica (591 pax, 400 crew) and Silver Cloud (216 pax, 222 crew). In 2016, the cruise port was visited by around 1880 tourists.

Port's cruising season runs from September through March. For season 2017-2018, the port had scheduled 5 cruise ships with passengers mainly from the USA, Canada and the UK. The first liner of season 2018-2019 (Oceania Nautica) docked at Port Mombasa on December 24, 2018, carrying 1048 tourists (400 crew plus 648 passengers). Other scheduled for visits in 2019 ships were Seabourn Sojourn (February 4), Silver Whisper (April 3) and Albatros (November 3).

On October 24, 2018, Port Mombasa reported a performance record of 1450 TEU-container moves within an 8-hour shift in containership handling operations. The record performance was set on Port's largest boxship so far - MSC Maxine (max capacity 9411 TEUs). In 2019, the port handled 1,425 million TEUs (7,3% growth over 2018), including transhipment TEUs 197,272 (105,333 in 2018, or 87,3% increase).

The new cruise terminal (Sh 450 million / ~USD 4,5 million) is at "Berth 1" and was structurally completed in July 2019. Its docking capacity is two Oasis-class ships simultaneously. Being currently the world's biggest passenger ships, each vessel has LOA length 360 m (1181 ft) and max capacity 6300 passengers (plus 2150 crew). The new terminal building features modern security (CCTV), immigration center, hotel, duty-free shops, restaurants, offices, conference facilities

Mombasa cruise terminal