Maersk, the world's second-largest container shipping company, announced that it will impose additional fees on goods shipped to Kenya starting from December 1st until further notice. This is due to the continuous collection of inspection fees and other taxes by national institutions operating ports. According to the notice, Maersk will charge an operating cost import fee of $18 (approximately 2332 Kenyan shillings) for all 20 foot dry cargo containers and $33 (approximately 4276 Kenyan shillings) for 40 foot high containers. In addition, refrigerated containers used for transporting fresh products will be charged an additional $33 (approximately 4276 Kenyan shillings) for a 20 foot container and $43 (approximately 5572 Kenyan shillings) for a 40 foot container. It should be noted that these fees do not include other shipping costs and are only applicable to the Port of Mombasa, which is expected to increase import and export costs. Maersk, as one of the largest shipping companies serving Mombasa, processed approximately 292259 containers in 2023, accounting for about 30% of Mombasa Port's throughput. based on these data, Maersk expects to collect approximately $8027602 (approximately 1.04 billion Kenyan shillings) annually for just one additional fee.
