The weekly service will initially transport containerised imports from Mombasa to Nairobi, using a 54-wagon train with capacity for 108 TEUs
Global shipping company CMA CGM has launched its first dedicated full-block train service between the Port of Mombasa and the Nairobi-Embakasi Inland Container Depot in Kenya.
The launch took place on October 28 and was attended by Mohamed Daghar, Principal Secretary for Transport at Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport; H.E. Wadid Benaabou, Ambassador of France to Kenya; Capt. William K. Ruto, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA); Philip J. Mainga, Managing Director of Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC); Naveen Prabhu, Deputy Regional Director for East Africa at CMA CGM; and Benjamin Coston, Managing Director of CMA CGM’s East Africa Cluster.
The train, comprising 54 wagons with a capacity of 108 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), will initially transport containerised imports from Mombasa to Nairobi-Embakasi. The service will operate once a week.
“Today’s launch is an important milestone for CMA CGM in Kenya. Our ambition is to strengthen connectivity between the sea, the port and inland economies. This project is also about partnership: with the Government of Kenya, the Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Railways and our customers. It reflects our long-term commitment to Kenya and our ambition to contribute to the country’s growth by connecting people, businesses and opportunities,” said Naveen Prabhu, Deputy Regional Director for East Africa at CMA CGM.