28 ships queue in Mombasa amid diversions from Dar es Salaam port

Piles of cargo cntainers lie at the Kenya Ports Authority yard in Mombasa on  November 7, 2025.

Photo credit: Kevin Odit I Nation Media Group

As the import season peaks ahead of the festive period, Mombasa port is grappling with congestion, partly because of a spillover from neighbouring Dar es Salaam port. 

Mombasa port, which handles about 3,500 twenty-foot equivalent units per day, is overstretched, with more vessels calling in over the past two weeks.