Kenya achieved a significant milestone in its efforts to make the Port of Mombasa the gateway for East Africa with the recent commissioning of a new berth constructed at a cost of $60-million.
Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta, flanked by his Ugandan and Rwandan counterparts, Yoweri Museveni and Paul Kagame respectively, jointly commissioned the new berth, which is expected to facilitate trade and economic growth in the region.
The new container terminal berth will increase the capacity of the Port of Mombasa and will enable the berthing of large con-tainer ships. The 240-m-long berth expands the Mombasa container terminal’s length to 840 m.
“This port is critical to our region’s devel- opment and the commissioning of Berth 19 represents Kenya’s commitment to turn the Port of Mombasa into the largest, busiest and most business-friendly seaport on the East African coast,” said Kenyatta.
The new berth, which is expected to increase capacity and ease congestion at the port, comprises 15 acres of stacking yard and provides additional yearly capacity of 200 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
Prior to the expansion, the terminal was designed to handle 250 000 TEUs a year. The increased capacity still cannot meet demand, which currently stands at 900 000 TEUs a year.
Besides Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, the Mombasa port also serves Burundi, South Sudan and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.