Ocean and Air Shipping from Kenya to South Africa

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Updated on 28 Nov 2021

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Imports from Kenya to South Africa totaled only $19.8 million in 2016. But despite no bilateral trade deal between the nations, plenty of opportunities exist for businesses that have importing from Kenya to South Africa on the agenda.

This page will ensure you’re ‘in the know’ when it comes to international shipping by air or sea from Kenya to South Africa. It features details about airports, seaports, customs clearance, shipping costs, and more. There’s even a section in which potentially confusing shipping terminology is explained.

What Are Your Options for Shipping From Kenya to South Africa?

Although transportation by road carrier is an option, many businesses choose either ocean or air freight to ship their goods from Kenya to South Africa. We’ll be sharing details about both these methods—right here on this page.

Ocean Freight From Kenya to South Africa

Less than Container Load (LCL): Your cargo shares a container with products from other shippers with LCL. It’s ideal if you don’t want or need an entire container for your shipment. LCL is often the least expensive way to import from Kenya to South Africa for small consignments of freight.

Full Container Load (FCL): With FCL shipping, your cargo is shipped in a container from Kenya to South Africa, similarly to LCL. However, the big difference is that you rent a container exclusively for your use, and there is no consolidation with other shippers’ goods. FCL is usually quicker and for large consignments, less costly than LCL.

Air Freight from Kenya to South Africa

Air cargo from Kenya to South Africa usually originates at Nairobi International Airport. With direct flights from Kenya to South

Africa’s Cape Town and Johannesburg Airports, air freight is the fastest way for your business to ship goods between the two countries. It’s also the most expensive.

How Much Does it Cost to Ship Cargo From Kenya to South Africa?

Bag of money and graph to represent the cost of Shipa Freight's quotes

When calculating the cost of your consignment, a freight forwarder will take into account the following:

The type of goods being shipped
The chosen mode of transportation (FCL, LCL, or Air)
The weight of the cargo
The dimensions of the cargo
The distance between origin and destination
The type of service required (such as Port-to-Port or Door-to-Door)

How do the different modes of transport compare with regard to cost? A quote for air freight or ocean freight will be about the same if your consignment weighs less than 100 kg. For shipments heavier than 100 kg, sea freight will usually be less expensive than air freight.

Most freight forwarders, including Shipa Freight, do not ship consignments weighing 35 kg or less. International couriers will provide quotes for such light loads.

How Long Does it Take to Ship Cargo From Kenya to South Africa?

There’s a big difference between ocean and air freight transit times. If your export from Kenya to South Africa is urgent, air shipping will get your goods to South Africa the quickest—in a matter of days.

The transit time for shipping a container from Kenya to South Africa is much longer. FCL and LCL ocean shipping usually takes a couple of weeks from dispatch to delivery.

How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Sea From Kenya to South Africa?

An Ocean vessel transporting your shipping container from Kenya to South Africa will head south down the east coast of Africa from Kenya’s only international seaport in Mombasa. The nearest port in South Africa is Durban, some 3,600 km away.

LCL shipments from Mombasa to Durban typically take 20 to 25 days, while FCL shipments usually require 15 to 25 days. The timings are the same as those stated above for LCL and FCL shipments from Mombasa to Port Elizabeth and Mombasa to Cape Town.

How Long Does It Take to Ship Cargo by Air From Kenya to South Africa?

Freight forwarders will almost certainly choose Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as the origin of shipments to South Africa. Direct flights are available to Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Even though the flight time from Nairobi to Johannesburg is a little over four hours, you should allow several days for your cargo shipment to complete. That’s because international shipping procedures and processes need to be adhered to with every consignment.

Customs Clearance in Kenya and South Africa

Customs clearance is mandatory for every export from Kenya to South Africa. To minimize the risk of delays affecting your shipment, it’s a good idea to hire a freight forwarder to navigate the complexities inherent in the process. With an experienced shipping partner on your side, the necessary formalities associated with shipping will be completed in-line with all relevant laws and regulations.

Even with a freight forwarder, you’ll still have an important role to play to ensure customs clearance, as you’ll need to supply the following documents:

Commercial Invoice
Packing List
Certificate of Origin
Letter of Credit or other payment terms (depends on the contract between the parties involved)
Airway Bill for air freight or Bill of Lading for ocean freight (Shipa Freight provides these)

The nature of your consignment may call for the completion of additional documents. These could include licenses, permits, or certificates.

To see samples of the documents relating to ocean and air shipping from Kenya to South Africa, check out our useful documents list page.

Should You Choose Ocean Freight or Air Freight?

Ocean Freight

Choose sea freight and your consignment will be transported in a shipping container from Kenya to South Africa on a cargo vessel. Most goods will ship from port to port (or even door to door) in a 20ft or 40ft standard shipping container that opens at one end. Your freight forwarder will recommend alternatives for cargo that won’t fit into a container, including break-bulk shipping.

As well as a choice of containers, you must also decide between FCL or LCL ocean shipping. With FCL, you get exclusive use of a container for your goods. With LCL, your freight shares a container with products from other shippers. Let’s look at both options in more detail:

Considerations for LCL Freight Shipping

LCL could be the best option for your consignment if:

It’s relatively small—14 CBM or less
It’s not needed in South Africa urgently
It’s safe to be shipped in a shared container
Air freight isn’t an affordable or viable option

You should note that with LCL shipping, all consignments are subject to logistics necessities known as consolidation and deconsolidation. These steps lengthen the transit time, usually making LCL the slowest way to ship freight from Kenya to South Africa.

You should perhaps avoid LCL shipping if:

Your cargo is delicate, perishable, or extremely valuable
You don’t want your goods handled or moved too often
Your consignee in South Africa needs the goods by a specific date
Your consignment is particularly large or heavy

Considerations for FCL Freight Shipping

If LCL doesn’t meet your requirements, FCL could, especially if:

Your delivery date is set in stone
You are shipping delicate or heavy freight
Your goods will not ship safely in a shared container
Your consignment is at least 14 cubic meters in volume
You want to seal your freight in its container in Kenya and for it to remain sealed until reaching the consignee

Air Freight

Choose air shipping to transport your freight from Kenya to South Africa if:

You want the fastest way to ship cargo
Your goods have a short shelf-life (they’re food, flowers, or plants, for example)
You want airport-levels of security for your high-value goods
You’re shipping a small and light consignment of no more than three pallets
The supplier or recipient of the shipment is located close to an international airport

Ocean Cargo Port Guide

Cargo Port of Origin in Kenya

Mombasa

Port Facts:

The only international seaport in Kenya
East Africa’s largest port
Handled 1.4 million TEUs in 2019
Ideal for suppliers or manufacturers based in Nairobi and the hinterland stretching to Uganda
There are ten ship-to-shore gantry cranes in the port’s container terminal

Owned By: Kenya Ports Authority.

Annual Container Volume: >1.4 million TEUs.

UN/LOCODE: KEMBA.