The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) took delivery of one new Ship to Shore (STS) gantry crane and eight Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes at the Port of Mombasa over the weekend.
According to KPA Engineering Services general manager, Rashid Salim, the port equipment is the first consignment of four STS and 12 RTG cranes ordered by the authority from Japan at a total cost of over R800 million – designed to boost efficiency and productivity at the port.
The STS crane has the capacity to lift two 20-foot containers in one move and has a safe working load of 65 tons as well as an advanced crane monitoring system. The RTG cranes have a hybrid power system resulting in improved fuel efficiency of up to 50% along with reduced carbon emissions, and are installed with an accurate container load weighing system.
The new equipment will be deployed at the Second Container Terminal, with four more RTG cranes to be delivered next month. Three more STS cranes are currently under construction and will be delivered to the port in 2021.
Acquisition of the equipment is part of the Mombasa Development Programme, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
“The equipment comes at a time when the authority is undertaking massive infrastructural developments and port capacity expansion programmes aimed at improving operational efficiency,” said Salim.
He pointed out that plans for the second phase of construction at the Second Container Terminal – which will add a further 450 000 TEUs of capacity – were already at an advanced stage. Once complete, the total capacity of the terminal will be 1.5 million TEUs, raising the port’s total container handling capacity to 2.65 million TEUs by 2025.
