KPA obtains more cranes to boost rail freight delivery

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has received four new cranes to increase the volume of goods transported to the Embakasi depot via the path of normal track iron. The equipment should also improve efficiency and allow the port agency to load at least seven freight trains a day.

"With a monthly increase, we are planning by December to hit 10 trains … The cranes have a capacity of 65 metric tons and have the latest technology, which uses electrical energy," he said. said Daniel Manduku interim general manager of KPA.

Currently, seven freight trains leave Mombasa for Nairobi every day. Rail cranes are crucial for loading and unloading wagons

They are among the six cranes ordered by KPA to China in December 2016 at a cost of 2.12 billion shillings. The other two, which were delivered in May, are operational.

"KPA continues to invest in maintenance and equipment acquisition to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction. We will ensure that the port of Mombasa remains one of the best equipped in the region, "said Dr. Manduku after receiving the equipment, adding that the cranes will serve the SGR trains to the new loading areas. adjacent to Pier No. 11. 14.

"The unloading of the equipment is usually a meticulous process, we expect this exercise to take about 14 days to unload and pull to the RMG area, which is 200 meters from the berths, "said Dr. Manduku.The process, said KPA, is likely to interrupt normal operations.

" Therefore, efforts have been made to ensure that the sections of the terminal are free for traffic during operation … The cranes will be put into operation in four weeks After the completion of the unloading process, "he said, Dr. Manduku said that plans for the expansion and modernization of u Mombasa port are still in progress.

"We are already seeing positive results after the acquisition of a new ship ashore, gantry crane and crane 12 gantry cranes with tires between April and June, for the second container terminal", a- he said.

"This explains the recent record performance of our container operations following the unloading of 3,872 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in less than eight hours."