In a major addition to the country’s maritime industry, Hyundai Merchant Marine, a giant Korean shipping line, is set to enter the Kenyan market with the launch of a new service linking the Port of Mombasa to India via the Nhava Sheva port, a large container seaport in India.
Founded in 1976, HMM Co. Ltd., formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), is a South Korean-based global shipping and logistics company.
The service will begin next month and will deploy a weekly vessel with an initial capacity of a standard 2,500 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
It will operate as a consortium involving six slot partners: HMM, PIL, Cosco, ONE, OOCL, and Inchcape Shipping.
The company aims to combine its large-capacity container vessels, intended for long-distance routes, with a network of feeder ships that distribute cargo among different regional markets.
The latest development comes barely a month after InterAsia Lines, a Taiwan-based shipping line, officially launched a new weekly service at the Port of Mombasa, strengthening maritime connectivity between Asia and the East African region.
InterAsia Lines operates a weekly vessel with a capacity of between 2,000 and 2,500 TEUs in partnership with South Korea’s Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), Singapore’s Pacific International Lines (PIL), and China’s COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited.
The Port of Mombasa is the premier maritime gateway to East and Central Africa, serving as a critical trade lifeline that connects over 80 global ports to a vast landlocked hinterland.
The port links international shipping lines to millions of people and acts as the starting point of the Northern Corridor that links Kenya’s coast to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Capt. William Ruto stated that the entry of HMM comes as the Port of Mombasa continues to reinforce its standing as a key maritime gateway for Kenya and the wider East and Central African region.
Capt. Ruto said KPA has been pursuing an aggressive programme of investment in the expansion and modernization of port infrastructure to meet the demands of facilitating regional and international trade.
“Our modernization initiative includes digital automation of workflows, electronic document management, integrated billing, real-time reporting, and improved data-driven decision-making across the Authority,” he said.
Ruto welcomed the new service, saying it affirms the growing profile of the Port of Mombasa as a regional transshipment and logistics hub.
The KPA CEO said the port of Mombasa serves a vast hinterland of over 250 million people, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.
He said the Mombasa port comprises Kilindini Harbour, Port Reitz, the Old Port, Port Tudor and the whole of the tidal waters encircling Mombasa Island and has a capacity of 2.65 million TEUs.
Jang Wonjun, Senior Vice President and Head of the Container Logistics Management Office at HMM’s Korea headquarters, attributed the company’s entry into Kenya to the strategic position of the Port of Mombasa as the hub for the region.
He said Hyundai Merchant Marine ranks among the world’s top 10 container carriers, operating over 70 vessels with 800,000 TEU capacity and is a member of the alliance serving Asia-Europe, transpacific, and global routes.
Wonjun says the East African region continues to witness the remarkable transformation of the shipping and maritime industry driven by KPA.
He said the sea route would be named Gulf-India-East Africa Service (GIA), and its first departure would take place from Nhava Sheva port, also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
The visiting delegation commended the remarkable progress achieved at the Port of Mombasa and expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to learn about the port’s operations and its growing role as a key gateway to the East and Central African region.
They toured key infrastructure projects at the Port of Mombasa, gaining firsthand insight into KPA’s strategic investments to expand capacity, enhance efficiency, and support regional trade and economic growth.
The team further expressed appreciation to KPA, saying it looks forward to a successful maiden voyage and future HMM services at Mombasa.
Meanwhile, KPA has lauded the long-standing cooperation between Kenya and Japan, describing it as a key driver to supporting the growth and development of port infrastructure.
KPA CEO Capt. William Ruto made the remarks when he hosted the Director-General, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Imafuku Takao, during a visit to the Port of Mombasa.
Capt. Ruto said that the port of Mombasa, which serves as the Maritime Gateway for the East, has greatly benefited from sustained collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
He noted that the Agency has played a leading role in ensuring that the Port of Mombasa maintains that competitive edge through infrastructure developments like the second container terminal and the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zones project, placing Mombasa as a leading maritime hub in the region.
The KPA CEO also expressed appreciation to the government of Japan for its continued commitment to the Authority’s modernization agenda.
By Hussein Abdullahi
