Kenya's million dollar expansion efforts at its sole port is starting to pay off and the world's largest container ships are now docking at Mombasa
Kenya has in recent years embarked on massive expansion projects at the port of Mombasa in a bid to remain East Africa’s biggest port.
On Thursday at 4am Mv Sper, the world’s sixth largest container carrier in docked at the port of Mombasa joining a long list of impressive and mammoth container ships which have in recent years docked at East Africa’s biggest and busiest port.
Hapag-Lloyd is a multinational German-based transportation company and is currently the world’s sixth largest container carrier in terms of vessel capacity.
The new shipping line, which joins over 28 other major shipping lines serving Mombasa Port commenced its inaugural service to East Africa by first docking at the Port of Mombasa.
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The Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Catherine Mturi-Wairi in a statement said Mv Spero docked at the Mombasa port at 4am loaded with 1770 TEUs.
“The 1770 TEUs capacity vessel arrived at 4am on Thursday and will discharge a total of 154 TEUs on her maiden call, the vessel is expected to complete by noon before proceeding to the port of Dar es Salaam,” she said.
It is easy to see why multinational shipping lines have suddenly taken a licking of Port of Mombasa.
Kenya has in recent years embarked on massive expansion projects at the port of Mombasa in a bid to remain East Africa’s biggest port.
The country is on course to constructing the second phase of a modern container terminal at a cost of $ 339.2m and has already secured funding from Japanese government.
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The Phase II project, which forms part of the broader Mombasa port upgrade and modernisation programme, which is estimated to cost a staggering $900-million, is aimed at transforming the port into a modern facility capable of serving not only Kenya but also the rest of the East African region.
“This has been as a result of the consistent port improvement programmes that have been put in place under the Mombasa Port Development Programme(MPDP),” she said.
Other world’s biggest container shipping lines docking at the Port of Mombasa are Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping company, CMA-CGM lines, China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) and Evergreen Shipping line.
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The port handled 10.6 per cent more cargo in the first nine months of last year, helped by an expansion of its handling capacity and a new SGR railway.
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