Lamu port gets bigger vessels as it gains traction as maritime hub

A cargo ship off loads containers at Lamu Port. [File, Standard

Kenya’s second seaport of Lamu last week received the longest vessel ever to have docked at an East African seaport.

The 335 metre-long MV Nagoya Express operated by Hapag-Lloyd specialises in refrigerated cargo, dangerous goods and special cargo projects.

It picked up 140 transshipped containers destined for New York.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said the cargo picked was earlier discharged in Lamu by MV Tolten, also under Hapag-Lloyd.

On February 28, last year, Mombasa port received the then-largest vessel, MSC Kotka, owned and operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company. KPA Managing Director William Ruto said the vessel’s arrival confirmed that Lamu’s deep water berths and the wide turning basin were designed and built for ultra-large vessels that cannot be accommodated at the Port of Mombasa, where turning space is limited to 323 metres.

“This arrival clearly proves that Lamu Port was not built as an afterthought. It was built with vessels like Nagoya Express in mind,” said the General Manager for Lamu Port Abdulaziz Mzee, who represented the KPA boss.

The vessel master, Capt Sylvester Mackiewicz, said that access to the Port was smooth and the experience went well. ‘’I did not think Lamu Port was this huge,’’ he said. KPA Chief Pilot Suleiman Bakari guided the vessel as it entered the Port, assisted Mzee as it came alongside berth no 2.

KPA reported that two CMA-CGM vessels are expected to call at the Lamu Port this week, reinforcing its position as a rising regional hub.

The government has been courting Ethiopia to use the Port of Lamu for its exports and imports.

In May of 2024, the first Ethiopian vessel, MV Abbay II, berthed at the Port of Lamu with 60,000 tonnes of imported fertiliser.