THE first development phase of a 15-metre draft second container terminal to accommodate 6,000-TEU ships at the Port of Mombasa has been completed.
THE first development phase of a 15-metre draft second container terminal to accommodate 6,000-TEU ships at the Port of Mombasa has been completed. The three-phase expansion project, commenced in 2012, was realised through a partnership between the governments of Kenya and Japan. "Phase one of the new terminal has an estimated capacity of 550,000 TEU annually. It is expected that upon completion of the other two phases the second container terminal will give the port an additional 1.5 million TEU capacity annually," said a statement from port authorities. "The newly acquired terminal currently undergoing a series of tests on the equipment involved the construction of two large berths, which measure 250 metres and 300 metres respectively and a small berth.? The first phase has equipped the facility with two ship-to-shore gantry cranes and four rubber tyre gantries and a new container stacking yard. Cabinet Secretary James Macharia told Nairobi's Business & Tech journal that the new terminal's supporting infrastructure, such as access roads have also been completed and already discussions were underway to build a rail line that would be linked to the main line. The port added that the second phase of the project is on course following the signing of a loan agreement between JICA and Kenya Ports Authority. That development is scheduled for completion in 2017. The third phase of the project is expected to open in 2020. Once the entire project is finished Mombasa will have a handling capacity of 2.5 million TEU. The new container terminal will create an additional 900 metres of quay length, up from 840 metres at present.
