The Port of Lamu has handled about 5,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from a single vessel for the first time, as the facility continues to build its container handling capacity.The port on Saturday received MV Hamouna, a 366-metre container vessel carrying approximately 14,500 TEUs, with about 5,200 TEUs set for discharge at Lamu.
The discharged containers will be transferred to smaller feeder vessels for onward transportation to other destinations, making the latest call an example of transshipment activity at the port.Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Captain William Ruto said the volume discharged from the vessel was the highest handled from a single ship at the port.However, the latest call comes as Lamu remains a smaller container operation compared with the Port of Mombasa, which handles the bulk of Kenya’s containerized cargo and serves as the country’s main maritime gateway.
Lamu’s container traffic is expected to be influenced by the development of the LAPSSET Corridor, which is intended to connect the port with northern Kenya and neighboring countries.The latest call also comes amid plans for the development of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
KPA has said the project could generate additional demand for port and logistics services, although the scale and timing of such demand will depend on the progress of the refinery.The latest call also comes amid plans for the development of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
KPA has said the project could generate additional demand for port and logistics services, although the scale and timing of such demand will depend on the progress of the refinery.
