Three Tanzanians injured as oil boat burst into flames in Kisumu

Fire Fighters put out fire at MV Cocke Vessel at the Kisumu pier on September 9 2016 that was Carrying 210,000 litres of diesel Oil to Mwanza Tanzania when it caught fire leaving three Tanzanians with serious burns. PHOTO: COLLINS ODUOR/STANDARD

KENYA: Three Tanzanian nationals suffered serious injuries after a ship they were using to transport fuel burst into flames at the Kisumu Port.

The three, a captain and to crew members were saved from the inferno by fire brigade drawn from the Kisumu International Airport and were rushed to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital before being transferred to Aga Khan Hospital.

Doctors at the hospital where the three are recuperating said all were in stable conditions, with one of them having suffered 30 per cent degree burns.

Kisumu County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim who led police response to the scene said the captain of the Tanzania bound vessel was trying to ignite the engine when it burst into flames during the 9am incident.

"I must commend the quick response by the police and the firefighting team which saved the lives of three, had we delayed a moment longer the case would have been very different because this was a vessel with highly flammable fuel," said Maalim.

He said the oil laden vessel was preparing to sail to Tanzanian Port of Mwanza after loading oil at the port.

The once busy port has been dormant for years after many of the bigger ships such as MV Uhuru ran aground due to poor maintenance.  Things worsened with the collapse of the Nairobi-Kisumu railway line, forcing a discontinuation of cargo transportation from Mombasa to Kisumu, for onward shipment to Port Bell in Uganda and Mwanza and Bukoba in Tanzania.

Efforts to revive Lake Victoria's economic vibrancy with bigger maritime trade have attracted a lot of attention with the Kenya Pipeline Company announcing plans to introduce jetties to ferry oil products to the Great Lakes region using the lake.

A year after it said an Indian investor plans to transport oil products between Kisumu and Port Bell in Uganda via the lake, KPC now plans to widen its reach to Jinja (Uganda) and Mwanza and Bukoba (Tanzania) in a move aimed at edging out competition posed by truckers who transport the commodity by road.

The move is a shot in the arm for lake transport whose restoration will be done by China Roads and Bridges Company (CRBC). The company will build a modern Sh14 billion port in Kisumu as the country seeks to return the transport mode to profit making ways.

And the Kenya Ports Authority has said it will bring in larger vessels than those that berthed at the port to double stakes in maritime trade in the region.

Already Lake Victoria Environmental Management Programme (LVEMP II) has installed 18 floodlights and water buoys on the lake to improve safety of lake users resulting to better regional trade and industrialisation.

It is part of a Sh380 million ($3.8 million) from the World Bank to undertake several safety projects including updating of the maritime safety regulations, establishment of a search and rescue organisation for the lake, communications, aids to navigation and nautical charts and maps.

The money was to be shared between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

The aids, nine in Homa Bay, two in Mbita Ferry Jetty, another two in Luanda.