PORT OF LAMU

The New Kid on the African Maritime Block

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PORT OF LAMU

Port of Lamu:

The New Kid on theAfrican Maritime Block

Lamu Port is the 'New Kid on the African Maritime Block' and a definite game changer on the regional and continental logistics. It will spur the LAPSSET Corridor Route and augment the realization of the African Union's long cherished dream of 'The Great Equitorial Land Bridge which begins at the Lamu port in Kenya on the Indian Ocean, passing through Juba in South Sudan, Bangui in Central African Republic, ending at Douala in Cameroon on the Atlantic Ocean - across Africa. The por tht became operational on May 20 2021 in a ceremony presided over by Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, breathing life into Eastern Africa's maritime economy battered by the COVID 19 pandemic. The modern port built by China Communication Construction Company makes Kenya the undisputed leading trade hub in East Africa. The recent launch of the port's first of the planned 32 berths is indeed a feat signaling Kenya's determination to become a major shipping hub in Eastern and Southern Africa region.

PORT OF LAMU

MV CAP Carmel, the first vessel to dock at the Port of Lamu

The successful operationalization of the first berth follows the grand launch of the construction of the first three berths with a length of 400 meters and depth of -17.5 meters in 2012 witnessed by three heads of state namely Mwai Kibaki of Kenya Meles Zanawi of Ethiopia and Silva Kiir of South Sudan. The two other berths are expected to be operational before the end of the year. Upon completion, the new port at Manda Bay will have 23 berths large and deep enough to accommodate postpanamax vessels with carrying capacity ranging from 12,000 to 18,000 TwentyFoot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Prior to the port's construction, comprehensive surveys confirmed the site to be the most suitable for the facility due to its natural depth of minus 18 meters along the main channel to 60 meters in the Bay. The first three berths are designed to handle 30,000 Dead Weight Tones (DWT) and 100,000 DWT for general, bulk and container cargo respectively. The development of the berths is crucial for importation of building materials for the other project components. The project is in three phases where phase one estimated at a cost of Ksh 42 billion was the construction of the first three berths designed to handle containers, general and bulk cargo vessels. The other berths will be developed depending on the demand, to reach a full complement of four bulk berths, five container berths, 21 general cargo berths and two liquid bulk berths. The port is also expected to handle crude oil super tankers whose draft is in excess of 18 metres, the consultant has proposed the construction of submarine oil pipelines to two Single Point Mooring Buoys, (SPMB) at depths of 22 metres to service the tankers at sea. The history of the Lamu port project dates back to 1972 when the then Ministry of Power and Communication commissioned Renardet-Sauti Consulting Engineers to prepare a feasibility study for a second deep water port in Kenya. This was in response to the facts that the Port of Mombasa was then suffering the effects of congestion and restricted in terms of draft and hence the size of ships allowed to visit. Manda Bay in Lamu located about 250 km north of Mombasa was considered most suitable for port development because it has a deep natural sheltered harbour and long and gentle shoreline measuring over 12 km as well as a wide entrance channel of about 3.5 km. Lamu emerged the best site for a modern port after the consultant had also investigated Kilifi creek and Malindi. The Lamu port is part of the larger Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport and Economic (LAPSSET) corridor project. It is itself a flagship project under the Kenya Vision 2030 national economic blueprint. LAPSSET forms Kenya's second transport and economic development corridor that is much wider than the Port and is expected to transform regional economies through increased trade, integration and interconnectivity spanning South Sudan and Ethiopia with first time land bridge across the middle of Africa from Lamu, all the way to Doula, Cameroon on the Atlantic Ocean Coast.

PORT OF LAMU

LAPSSET is comprised of some seven major implementation components and associated infrastructure. These include oil pipeline from Juba to the port of Lamu, oil refinery at port of Lamu, the port at Manda Bay, railway link to South Sudan and Ethiopia, highway joining Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia, three resort cities at Lamu and Turkana as well as airports at Lamu, Isiolo and Lockichogio. The port project has the potential to completely transform the economic status of Lamu and the entire coast of Kenya with increased employment opportunities; better social amenities such as schools, health facilities as well as water and energy provisions that are associated with such projects for the benefit of the people in the region for a long time to come. The LAPSSET project will position Lamu Port as an important transshipment hub, poised to handle crude and refined oil and oil products from the new nation of South Sudan. It has the potential to directly impact on the livelihood of 166 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan with other accruing benefits from infrastructure development ranging from better road network, rail, airports, oil pipeline and refinery; resort cities as well as the port itself. It is hoped this massive project will trigger employment and economic activities never witnessed since independence in Kenya. The project will enhance regional and economic integration, facilitate trade and increase interconnectivity between South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Central Africa and Cameroon. It is also expected to enhance Kenya's position as a gateway and a transport hub to the East African sub-region, the Great Lake Region and beyond. The project will provide a reliable access to the sea for Northern/Eastern parts of Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia, which have hitherto remained without such a direct link to a seaport. This project has numerous benefits for the country and local communities at large.

LOCAL BENEFITS

Create employment opportunities to the local communities; Stimulate economic growth and development of the Lamu and adjacent counties; Uplift the living standards of the local community.

PORT OF LAMU

It is expected to stimulate manpower development and training opportunities for the local community such as colleges, polytechnics and universities and development of social amenities like schools, hospitals, recreational and sporting facilities.

REGIONAL BENEFITS

Regionally the port is expected to influence directly the livelihood of over 15 million people in northern, Eastern, and Coastal parts of the Country in addition to over 4 million and 17 million in South Sudan and Ethiopia.The wider population will be more than 130 million. Reduce over-reliance on the Northern Corridor where any inefficiency or interruptions may adversely affect the economies of the whole region. Promote regional socio-economic development along the transport corridor especially in the Northern, Eastern, North-Eastern and Coastal parts of Kenya besides transforming Kenya into an international maritime hub. Internationally, the port will inspire competitiveness in global maritime trade; promotion of international trade and link East and Central African region to the international markets.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

New access and links with neighbouring countries will foster regional economic development and growth through trade facilitation. * Creation of substantial job opportunities that covers not only direct jobs related to the port and Lapsset corridor but also indirect jobs in all fields such as agriculture, fishery, manufacturing, logistics, transport and trade. * Rapid economic development anticipated at all economic growth areas identified along and connected with the Lamu Port. * Increased cruise tourism.

The new port in a region with great history

While airports runways easily take off with the role of transport people across the globe, Seaports are considered the umbilicus of international trade. Any mention of seaports conjures images of wealth, high earning jobs and economic development of the regions they are situated. When the idea of setting Lamu Port was mooted 49 years ago (1972), the aim was not only to complement the Port of Mombasa but to also open up Kenya's largely underdeveloped frontier, through creation of a second transport corridor linking up with Garissa, Isiolo, Maralal, Lodwar and Lokichogio and branching at Isiolo to Moyale at border with Ethiopia and proceeding to the border with Southern Sudan. However, the first recipients of the joys that come with being at the apex of a trade route have been the people of Lamu and the neighbouring Counties. Already, there is compelling evidence of the extent to which the construction of Lamu Port has positively impacted the local communities, mainly through direct employment and through the quasi projects that emanated from the port construction.

Maritime Freight Company Limited

SEAFREIGHT/AIRFREIGHT/TRANSPORT/CUSTOMS CLEARANCE TRANSPORT/TRANSSHIPMENT/PROJECT CARGO

Maritime Freight Company Limited Congratulates Kenya Ports Authority on the Operationalization of their 1st Berth at the Port of Lamu. We are proud to be associated with you!

2nd Floor, Oshwal House, Moi Avenue P.O.Box 99611 - 80107 Mombasa (KENYA) Tel: +254 733 601 868 / 722 838 227

Email: info@marfrcol.com / operations@marfrcol.com

PORT OF LAMU

The community engagement has been an important cornerstone and has enabled Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to correctly identify and prioritize community needs from before the construction begun, throughout the project and even now when the port is now functional. The port is proving to be a catalyst for development not only in Lamu but along the entire LAPSSET Corridor. Once it's fully operational, Lamu Port will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between the local communities and the international market not only for the goods in transit but also the celebrated history of the Island. The transportation sector is a strong factor in terms of economic and regional balanced development, as well as having a great influence on national integration to the world economic market. Lamu has a rich history of trade on the Indian Ocean and definitely this will positively reflect on Kenya's economy. For the East African region, the coastline plays an essential role in regional economy, delivering the goods we need as a region as well as providing an artery through which we export our produce to the world. It is expected that this new Port in Lamu, which has capacity to handle bigger vessels will attract some cargo which would traditionally pass through the ports of Sudan, Djibouti and Mombasa. COVID-19 fundamentally disrupted the global economy in 2020, wreaking havoc in some sectors and providing unforeseen windfalls to others. Despite the fact that the impact will be lasting, the pandemic will eventually recede, and opportunities will open up for businesses and economies that will have positioned themselves ready to run with the 'new normal'. The Port of Lamu is ready for the new run.

Port of Lamu and its Origin

On 10th August 1971, the Daily Nation, a leading Kenyan newspaper quoted Mr. Ronald Ngala, the then Minister for Power and Communication saying the Government had decided to build a new port along the Kenyan coast line. He went ahead to announce that the Government had drawn up terms of reference for the new port and had asked the Harbour Corporation ( the predecessor of Kenya Ports Authority) and three other experts to look around and determine which site would be best suitable for the new port. Exactly 50 years down the line, Port of Lamu’s first berth at was operationalized fulfilling the dreams of the country’s post independent Government. The aim of the construction of the Port, which is one of the main components of the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project is to complement the Port of Mombasa while opening up Kenya’s largely underdeveloped frontier, through creation of a second transport corridor linking a new and modern Port of Lamu with Garissa, Isiolo, Maralal, Lodwar and Lokichogio and branching at Isiolo to Moyale at border with Ethiopia and proceeding to the border with Southern Sudan. The corridor comprises these components: Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line; Road network; Oil Pipeline (Crude and product); Oil Refinery (Isiolo/Lamu); International Airports (Lamu, Isiolo and Lokichogio); Lamu Port (Manda Bay) and Resort cities (Lamu, Isiolo and Lake Turkana).

Lamu Port Groundbreaking for the LAPSSET corridor program at Lamu Port site took place on March 2,2012 after which construction activities commenced.The first berth is 100 percent complete and ready for operations.Two other berths will be ready for operations before the end of the year 2021. The construction of the Port being undertaken by China Communications Construction Company, is ongoing in phases as outlined in a 20-year Master Plan: *Phase One -the construction of the first three (3) berths comprising one (1) container berth, One (1) general berth and One (1) bulk cargo. * Phase Two - the construction of 16 berths comprising three (3) bulk,Three (3) container, Six (6) general cargo, One (1) liquid bulk, One (1) Coal, One (1) LNG and One (1) product oil. * Phase Three - the construction of four berths comprising One (1) container and Three (3) general cargo. It is expected that this new Port which has capacity to handle bigger vessels will attract some cargo which would traditionally pass through the ports of Sudan, Djibouti and Mombasa.