InterAsia Lines will launch a weekly service to Mombasa in October, adding shipping capacity as trade between Asia and East Africa grows
The Port of Mombasa is set to gain additional shipping capacity from October, with Taiwan-based shipping line InterAsia Lines introducing a new weekly service to the Kenyan port.
The service will operate with vessels carrying between 2,000 and 2,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and will be operated in partnership with South Korea’s Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), Singapore’s Pacific International Lines (PIL) and China’s COSCO Shipping Corporation.
The new service is expected to start in mid-October and comes as trade volumes between Asia and East Africa continue to increase.
Eric Chen, InterAsia Lines’ East Africa and Mozambique Area Representative, announced the service during a courtesy visit to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Chief Executive Officer Captain William Ruto.
According to KPA, Chen said the new service was prompted by growing demand for shipping capacity along the Asia-Africa trade route.
He also welcomed infrastructure and modernisation work underway at the Ports of Mombasa and Lamu, saying the new service reflected growing confidence in Kenya’s ports and the wider East African market.
Captain Ruto welcomed the move and thanked InterAsia Lines for its continued cooperation with KPA.
He said the authority was focused on improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the Port of Mombasa through investments aimed at reducing vessel turnaround times and strengthening its role as a regional maritime hub.
Ruto also assured the shipping line that KPA would continue working to keep Mombasa a preferred gateway for regional and international trade.
The additional weekly service will give shippers another link between Asian markets and East Africa, while adding capacity at one of the region’s key maritime gateways.
For Mombasa, the move also comes as Kenya seeks to strengthen the port’s role in serving growing trade across East and Central Africa.