Shippers embrace model that resolves empty containers row

A CARGO SHIP AT THE PORT OF MOMBASA. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Shippers have started embracing the Through Bill of Lading (TBL) freight model to import goods into the country, which is expected to increase cargo being transported via the Standard Gauge Railway trains.

Last week, Maersk Line delivered a freight train loaded with 108 TBL containers to the Nairobi Inland Container Depot (ICD) in a move expected to resolve the issue of returning empty containers.

For goods to be delivered to a destination, the importer has to state the port they want their cargo offloaded. In the TBL, the point of destination is the ICD and not Mombasa port as is the practice currently with the merchant haulage model.

The TBL model will ease the burden of repatriating empty containers which are required to be returned to designated yards in Mombasa.

When freight trains started operating in January, the Kenya Railways and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) railed containers meant for offloading at the port to the ICD, complicating logistics for importers who had to hire trucks to transport empty containers to Mombasa, incurring additional costs. But with the TBL, importers will now return the containers to the ICD.
Shippers embrace model that resolves empty containers row

Only people with a functioning SGR can understand this.

¥NaiWalker Hihihi