New terminal raises port’s cargo capacity

The cargo handling capacity at the port of Mombasa is set to increase following the completion of a new container terminal.

The completion of phase one of the Mombasa Port Development Project will also ease congestion at the port whose cargo capacity has been increasing by the day.

It has also seen the construction of two berths (berth 20 and 21) and another small berth where huge cargo ships can easily dock for off loading.

The project, which took four years to complete at a cost Sh25 billion, was being supervised by Japan Port Consultant and undertaken by Toyo Construction Company.

The second and third phases are expected to be ready by 2017 and 2020 respectively.

The money is part of Sh50 billion loan by the government of Japan to fund development of the facility.

Once the handing over is done on Monday, KPA is expected to invite a private operator to operate the container terminal under a concession agreement.

Completion of phase one at the west of Kipevu Oil Terminal will now see the capacity increase from one million Twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per year to about 1.3 million TEUs within the same period.

Project manager K Nagai said the facility was “100 per cent complete” and would be handed over to KPA on Monday.

The facility has a waiting area for empty trucks, repair and washing zone and an area for lorries waiting to be loaded with cargo.

There will also be weigh-in-motion bridges to ensure axle load controls.

The Mombasa Port Development Project is among several giant infrastructure projects funded by Japan through the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).

The project also includes construction of a new port access road connecting the new container terminal with the existing Port Reitz Road that leads to Nairobi and inland bound highways which has also been done.