The Kenya Ports Authority has launched a blueprint highlighting measures it seeks to implement to boost, in the next three years, its trans-shipment business with East and Central African countries, which has remained stagnant for more than a decade.

Its 2018-2047 masterplan targets more business with the ports of Dar Salaam Port and Djibouti, via the upcoming Lamu port which, when complete, will be able to host big merchant ships due to its wide berths.

According to Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, three berths of the target 32 are expected to be complete by October and the first mother ship with close to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (teus) is scheduled to dock before December.

Trans-shipment market

The Lamu Port, built under the regional Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor project, is expected to launch operations in November.

“We expect to start competing in the trans-shipment market as the first super post-Panamax vessel is set to dock at Lamu Port before the end of this year,” said Mr Macharia.

Source: The East African

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