Viaservice And Maersk Partners to Deliver More Efficient Container Management for Kenyan Customers

Viaservice-Ke, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Viatrans SA, has formed a strategic partnership with A. P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) to streamline container management through digital trade solutions for customers in Kenya’s logistics sector.

Under the partnership, Maersk customers will gain access to Viaservice Container Solution (VCS), a digital trade financing platform designed to help freight forwarders and other logistics stakeholders facilitate financing for container-related transactions and improve cash flow across the supply chain. The solution enables faster container release, enhances business liquidity, and streamlines logistics operations by eliminating the need for large refundable deposits while reducing administrative requirements.

The collaboration combines Viaservice’s expertise in digital financial solutions with Maersk’s extensive logistics network to address a key challenge in Kenya’s logistics ecosystem: providing businesses with timely and efficient access to trade financing.

VCS offers a secure digital platform that allows logistics stakeholders to obtain financing for container-related charges and other logistics transactions.

How does this work?

Traditionally, importers are required to pay a container deposit to the shipping line before the container can be released. The deposit is refunded only after the empty container is returned. For businesses managing multiple containers, this can tie up significant working capital for weeks or even months.

Through its partnership with Viaservice, eligible Maersk customers can access an alternative arrangement that allows containers to be released without paying the traditional deposit upfront. Viaservice provides advance payment facilities for demurrage, damage, and total loss costs on behalf of customers, subject to reimbursement.

This model helps keep cargo moving while improving working capital efficiency, allowing businesses to preserve liquidity for their day-to-day operations.

At Viaservice, we are committed to providing innovative digital and financial solutions that facilitate trade and support the growth of businesses operating in fast-growing economies. Our partnership with Maersk marks an important milestone in expanding access to digital trade financing solutions and strengthening the logistics ecosystem in the region. Since introducing the VCS, we have focused on addressing financing challenges faced by freight forwarders and logistics businesses, helping to accelerate cargo movement and improve efficiency across the logistics sector. Through this collaboration, we are extending these benefits to a wider customer base, enabling businesses to improve cash flow, optimize operations, and move cargo more efficiently.

- John Mathenge, Managing Director of Viaservice Limited

Welcoming Maersk onto the VCS platform in Kenya marks an important expansion of a partnership already successfully established in Tanzania. Through the Port of Mombasa, a growing share of regional container flows can now benefit from a more efficient alternative to cash deposits. The impact extends beyond Kenya. As a critical gateway for trade corridors serving landlocked markets across East Africa, Kenyan ports plays a central role in regional commerce. By reducing capital tied up in container deposits, VCS helps businesses preserve liquidity, improve operational efficiency and move cargo more smoothly across these corridors. This partnership further strengthens the regional reach of VCS and demonstrates how collaboration between shipping lines and trade-facilitation providers can improve the flow of both cargo and capital across African trade routes.

- Morgan Lépinoy, Managing Director of Viatrans SA, Switzerland

In addition to expanding access to the VCS platform, Viaservice and Maersk will conduct customer education and stakeholder engagement initiatives to raise awareness, encourage adoption, and help businesses across the logistics value chain maximize the platform’s benefits.

The partnership is expected to support a more resilient, efficient, and digitally enabled logistics sector while contributing to Kenya’s broader trade and economic development goals.