Nairobi — The container terminal at the Mombasa Port was filled to capacity yesterday, threatening to ground operations.

Major port users warned that the port could attract huge vessel delay surcharges (VDS) following the crisis that started with the arrest of port chiefs two weeks ago.

The Kenya Ships Agents Association (Ksaa) and Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa) officials said the decision making process on key container terminal operations had been impaired.

In a joint statement, Kifwa national chairman Mr Joseph Ng'etich and Ksaa national chairman, Mr Issa Muslim, said the arrest of the top Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managers had paralysed operations.

They said the move resulted in a pile up of cargo at the container terminal.

Currently, they protested, 8,000 20ft equivalent units (TEUS) of imported containers are lying at the port, adding that more containers were arriving.

"Critical decisions are required in order to avoid the disaster of congestion in the port. This might lead to VDS in not too distant future," they warned.

The port chiefs were arrested over the handling of a container with cocaine worth Sh6.4 billion at the port.

Meanwhile, Mr Brown Ondego, the embattled KPA managing director, is expected to resume duty this week.

Port officials confirmed yesterday that five senior KPA managers arrested alongside Ondego had already resumed work.

Ondego was released after spending a night in Nairobi police cells, while the other senior officers were freed last Friday.

Sources at port said those arrested with Ondego but freed last Friday resumed their duties on Monday.

"They have already reported back at the port," said a source.

Those who resumed are harbour master and chief operations manager Captain Twalib Khamis, container terminal manager Mr Akida Jeruman, chief security officer Sylvester Ndongole, verification officer Mr Charles Mageta and port operations consultant Mr Calvin Otory.

Mr Otory is a key figure in port operations as he supervises cargo documentation and links up KPA management and port stakeholders while Mr Mageta takes care of cargo verification.

Ondego and the rest of the officials were arrested and released and ordered to report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Nairobi every week on different dates and times.