By Kenya Engineer
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Mombasa port channel will be deepened and widened beginning this year to allow larger vessels to call.
The project will cost the Government Sh3.5 billion and has to be completed within three years to avoid the risk of the port being reduced into a mere feeder port.
Transport Minister Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere said the Government had approved a KPA proposal for the dredging works. The Minister was addressing Mombasa port users at Nyali Beach Hotel on 14 April 2007.
The entrance into the port is through a channel about 6 miles long and 300 metres wide. The channel is naturally deep and has been dredged three times to meet the demand of shipping.
The largest permissible vessel transiting the channel are crude oil tankers with a maximum length of 259 metres, draft of 13.25 metres and deadweight of 85,000 tons. Large cruise ships of up to 300 metres in length and 100,000 tons dead weight can also transit the channel. However, only small size container ships of a maximum of 2,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEU's) capacity containers can use the port.
The objectives of improving the entrance channel are as follows:
a) To make navigation easier and safer by day and night throughout all seasons thereby overcoming the adverse effects of strong tides and currents.
b) To fully meet the future demands of shipping from regional trade and global trends of the increased ship sizes.
c) To allow larger vessels to call at the port particularly at the proposed new Container Terminal West of Kipevu, to serve the demands of the hinterland countries and their growing economies.
A wider and deeper channel will make navigation easier and safer by day and night through all seasons and will overcome the adverse effect of strong tides and currents.
The project will be done in phases from 2007 to 2010. These include:
a) Phase 1, consultancy study; (Ongoing)
b) Phase 2, dredging of outer and inner
c) Phase 3, dredging of the main channel;
d) Phase 4, dredging for Panamax berths 12-14 and near Kipevu Oil Terminal and the new Container Terminal berths 20-23.
Dredging Consultancy Survey to enable the execution of dredging works to be undertaken. The report is expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2007.
The total dredging volume is estimated at 4.5million cubic meters including dredging of the channel in front of berths 12-14 and near Kipevu Oil Terminal to allow tankers of 100,000 DWT capacity to access the Terminal in fully laden condition.
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