The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Global port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is commited to developing, managing and operating ports in Kenya and East Africa in general, Jacob Gulmann, ICTSI Business Development Director, said.
Gulmann was among the speakers in the 16th Intermodal Africa Conference, held in Mombasa, Kenya, last November 17 to 18.
Drawing on ICTSI’s experience both in and outside Africa, Gulmann discussed the importance of having a clear and unbeatable customer value proposition, flexible investment phasing in line with cargo volumes and timely hinterland connectivity.
“We have experience in Africa, including some major success stories such as our Madagascar International Container Terminal, widely recognized as one of the best performing terminals in the Sub-Saharan African region,” he said.
“We are prepared to invest, the most recent example being at our Matadi Gateway Terminal on the Congo River in the D.R. Congo. This opened for business earlier this year, and here we have invested USD100 million in infrastructure, equipment, I.T. and training,” Gulmann added.
“In East Africa, we have an interest in taking over existing terminals or, as our Matadi project demonstrates, building, equipping and operating new terminals,” he said.
“Projects that we are now monitoring include any proposed public private partnership (PPP) for Mombasa’s newly opened second container terminal; the new container terminal project in Dar es Salaam and the new port projects of Lamu (Kenya) and Bagamoyo (Tanzania),” he added.
ICTSI, together with a large number of other Conference delegates, also participated in the pre-conference visit to Mombasa’s new Kipevu Container Terminal.
“It is a fine facility and one that places the port of Mombasa in a very strong position to build, national, transit and transhipment cargo. Also the fact that it is commencing operation at a time when the first phase of the new standard gauge railway will soon be open for business is a major plus factor. It will undoubtedly strengthen the case for the use of the Northern Corridor, connecting Mombasa with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the D.R. Congo,” Gulmann said.
ICTSI operates 30 terminals in 20 countries and is recognized to be a leading developer, manager and operator of gateway container terminals of different sizes and serving extended hinterlands including cross border.