Port of Mombasa
To make the Port of Mombasa the most effective and modern port in the region, the government has recently undertaken massive infrastructure investments.
Mombasa port, which serves as the entry point for landlocked nations including South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, has recently undergone significant development as a result of massive investments in modern equipment, technology, and infrastructure.
Cost
The second container terminal, which is slated to cost Sh32 billion in Phase Two, the Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT), which will cost Sh40 billion, and the Sh1 billion cruise ship terminal are among the multibillion-shilling projects that aim to support the nation’s economic progress.
To help with the quick removal of marine cargo from the port facility, the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has also built a 1.2 km, six-lane concrete Kipevu road for Sh2 billion.
A modern tug jetty worth Sh500 million was built at the marine dockyard as part of the Mombasa Port Development Programme (MPDP) program to upgrade infrastructure, which is essential for port operations.
The new port infrastructure improvements are intended to solidify the port’s new era as a key transportation and logistics hub in the area.
![Modernized Mombasa Port](https://www.kenyastatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screenshot_20220622-2149342-300x193.png)
The goal of the port expansion projects is to make the Mombasa port, which serves as a gateway to East and Central Africa, the most effective, competitive, modern, and secure port in all of Africa.
Regional port
The port development projects are a part of efforts to turn Mombasa port into a hub for regional trade and transportation while also enhancing its effectiveness and providing it with a competitive edge.
The government and maritime stakeholders believe that the development of the port infrastructure will propel Kenya into the top tier of important international transhipment and commercial maritime centres.
According to Dr Karanja Kibicho, Principal Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, the main goal is to transform the Mombasa port into a world-class facility, achieve high productivity, and ensure effective cargo freight services for importers and exporters.
Dr Kibicho, who also serves as the Chairman of the National Development Implementation Technical Committee (NDITC), a body responsible for monitoring the execution of government projects and initiatives, expressed his satisfaction with the recent developments and the steps taken to increase the port’s effectiveness and competitiveness.
Dr Kibicho urged all participants to work to increase productivity and lower operating costs to make the port one of the greatest in the world while speaking during a recent inspection tour of port operations by the Committee.
Phase two capacity
The Japanese contractor, Toyo Construction Company, delivered the finished Phase Two of the Second Container Terminal to KPA last week. This phase has an additional 450,000 TEU capacity.
By increasing the port’s capacity to 2.1 million TEUs, Mombasa will rank among the top five ports in Africa, according to Amb. John Mwangi, the acting KPA Managing Director, praised the contractor for finishing the project on time.
Mwangi stated that berth number 22 was 300 meters long, along with other administrative facilities, in the new container terminal, which construction began in September 2018.
Number of berths
The project will have three berths, the longest of which will accommodate post-Panamax vessels of 60,000 deadweight tons and Panamax container ships of 20,000 deadweight tons. The berths’ lengths will be 230, 320, and 350 meters, respectively.
In 2016, the first phase of the second container terminal, which cost Sh26 billion and involves reclaiming around 50 acres of seabed to create 550,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) capabilities, was opened.
Kenya’s capacity to handle petroleum products will double after the new Kipevu Oil Terminal, one of the national government’s legacy projects is finished.
Mombasa Port continues to rank in the top six container ports in Africa and the top 120 worldwide. It is served by more than 40 shipping lines and connected to more than 80 ports across the world.
Following the completion of the second and third berths in December, the government was able to issue a request for proposals to private contractors for the construction of 20 further berths as part of a public-private partnership to complete the 23-berth facility.
The port, built by China Communication Construction Company, is essential for addressing regional logistical demands on a worldwide scale and for advancing the nation’s blue economy goal.
Lamu Port
Since its inauguration, the absence of suitable yard operation equipment has compelled Lamu to exclusively draw ro/or ships and motor vehicle carriers.
![Lamu port](https://www.kenyastatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Screenshot_20220622-2142332-300x227.png)
With nine vessels and 1,619 twenty feet-equivalent units (TEUs) in its initial berth, Lamu port has so far managed to handle traffic since May.
Security concerns
Ethiopia and South Sudan, the two nations that were backed to be the facility’s main sources of transhipment business, have lost interest in the port, which has forced Kenyan authorities to revisit their plans for Lamu Port. Other neighbouring countries like Somalia have also invested in their ports.