Port to soon handle larger vessels

By BENARD SANGA

Mombasa, Kenya: Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and German experts are scheduled to work on a simulation exercise to gauge the port’s capability to handle vessels with capacity of 6,000 twenty equivalent units (TEUs).

Currently, the Port of Mombasa handles vessels of up to 4,500 TEUs but is expected to handle bigger vessels upon completion of the dredging at Likoni Channel, cargo handling modernisation and construction of Berth 19.

IMPROVED SERVICES

The entry of huge vessels into Mombasa will also position the port as a true transshipment hub where large vessels drop cargo destined to other feeder ports like Dar es Salaam.

According to KPA General Manager Operations, Captain Twalib Khamis, the experts will assess the port’s capacity to handle the bigger vessels given that Mombasa was currently investing more to increase the facility’s efficiency.

Khamis said the port has made significant strides in automation of port services citing implementation of the Terminal Operating System (Kwatos) and the Single Customs Territory (SCT).

“So far SCT is being used by transit customers for clearance of oil, fertiliser and wheat,” said Khamis, adding that three ship to shore gantry cranes ordered early this year are expected to arrive by July next year.

He said construction of the second container terminal is progressing well and that phase one is expected to be ready by 2016.

LARGER VESSELS

On Friday, Asia’s second largest container shipping company, Evergreen Marine, announced that it plans to deploy more vessels to the Mombasa route as it looks to consolidate its market base into the hub.

The liner’s president, Adam Lee, who called at the harbour, commended KPA for improving efficiency and reducing vessel turn-around time at the Port of Mombasa.

He said various capacity enhancement projects are being undertaken at the port to enable it handle longer and wider vessels, adding that the KPA strategic plan is geared towards making Mombasa a regional hub.

Lee, who was accompanied by the Chairman of their local agent Gulf Badr Africa, Dr Bahaa Badr, said Evergreen targets at being the largest operator in East Africa in the near future.

“We welcome KPA’s strategic development plan of building capacity ahead of demand especially in light of the projected rise in cargo volumes,” he said.

Evergreen currently handles 10 per cent of the Port of Mombasa’s market share, which is currently dominated by Maersk that commands between 30-40 per cent.

According to KPA records, Mombasa has, since the commissioning of berth 19, handled larger vessels — up to 4,500 TEUs. Quite notable is the Msc TIA vessel, which docked in June last year and has a length of 121 metres and a draft of 12.3 metres.

In February this year Maersk, the world’s largest shipping line, vessel MV Maersk Cairo Hong Kong also called at the port. The vessel is 249 metres long and 37.5 metres wide. At 4,400 TEUs, it is the biggest commercial vessel, in terms of capacity, to ever dock in the East African shores.

Maersk has also announced that it will deploy one of its largest vessels with a length of 300 metres. The longest vessel in the world is 400 metres.

Shipping stakeholders say entry of the biggest vessels in the region cements Mombasa as the region’s shipping hub and is a sign of improved efficiency at the port.

“KPA completed dredging of the channel and berths, and the Port of Mombasa has continued to handle bigger capacity vessels,” said Captain Khamis.