Kisumu port records increase in cargo

MV Pamba at Kisumu port. [File, Standard]

Kisumu port is expected to surpass 200,000 metric tonnes in total cargo throughput this year.

In the 2024 half-year performance report, Kisumu Port recorded 125,503 metric tonnes compared to 60,910 tonnes handled during the same period last year, representing a growth of 64,592 or 51.5 per cent.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director William Ruto said vessel calls to the port also recorded significant growth.

In a statement, Captain Ruto noted that the port that serves Western Kenya and neighboring countries posted 116 calls by July 2024, representing an increase of 63 calls compared to the same period last year.

Among the vessels currently docked at the port is MV Uhuru, which is loading 22 wagons of steel billets weighing 804.5 metric tonnes destined for Jinja, Uganda.

MV Uhuru II the first ship assembled in Kenya is expected to undertake her maiden voyage soon.

In a statement Ruto said that MV Uhuru II has a capacity of 1,800 tonnes and is optimized to carry petroleum and bulk dry cargo, with modern engines that have given it a cruising speed of 14 knots.

Kisumu port was rehabilitated recently at a cost of Sh3 billion and positioned to serve Kenya's hinterland and the East African region, particularly Uganda and Tanzania.

"With the ever-growing demand for petroleum products in the transit market, another fuel tanker MT Kabaka Mutebi III will join the fleet of vessels plying Kisumu, Port Bell, and Jinja ports," said KPA.

KPA hoped that the ongoing expansion of the Kisumu jetty, would further raise the port's capacity to handle petroleum products as Kenya Pipeline Corporation is also improving its systems at the loading bay to allow for simultaneous loading for both trucks and vessels.

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