This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
Kenya is gearing up to commission its first berth at the Lamu port in October, with President Uhuru Kenyatta set to officially launch the port's operations later in the month.
As part of the preparations, at least 33 shipping companies are expected to tour the port in the coming month, in a bid to market and position the port as competitive among its regional peers, Djibouti and Port Sudan.
The tour is part of a Kenya Ports Authority-driven charm offensive, aimed at enticing shipping lines to use the port.
Already, the construction of the second and third berths is underway, with both expected to be operational by October 2020. The three berths will cost more than Ksh48 billion ($46.3 million).
The port agency is offering promotional discounts for vessels and cargo that choose the port, including a 30-day storage-free period for transhipments and transit cargo, and a two-week similar offer for domestic cargo.
Kenya Ports Authority is banking on cargo transhipments to make Lamu port viable, even as it eagerly awaits the docking of its first super post-Panamax vessel in two months.
The expected docking of the first mother ship with 14,000 20-foot TEUs in November will beat the current record held by Panama-flagged Mediterranean Shipping Company's Maxine, with a capacity of 9,411 TEUs.
