The port of Mombasa has today received a new state of the art tugboat RAstar 4200 built in Turkey at a cost of Sh1.9 billion.
Christened Mwokozi II, Azimuth Stern Driven (ASD) tug arrived at the port of Mombasa today after a 26-day’s journey from the Cheoy Lee Shipbuilders in China.
The high-performance Azimuth Stern Driven (ASD) tug joins Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) fleet of tugboats to primarily offer salvage and harbor operations.
According to KPA, Mwokozi II was given a water canon salute by a flotilla of tugs and pilot cutters depicting her maiden voyage to the port of Mombasa.
“It is equipped with excellent maneuverability and packing a hefty 120 tonnes of bollard pull, the vessel with a length overall of 42 metres and maximum draft of 7.2 metres will deliver enhanced towing and ship handling services for vessels stuck at sea or with mechanical problem,” it stated.
The vessel has been constructed and equipped according to Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) requirements.
KOT will for a start be able to accommodate three ships concurrently with a capacity of 200,000 tons each.
General Manager Human Resources and administration Dr. Amani Komora stressed the need for employees to focus on productivity even as the Authority keeps its promise of modernizing equipment.
“We have delivered a tug that is superior to the previous ones, because we want to improve on quality,” he said.
The new 75 Bollard Pull (BP) tugboat is the first of its kind in East and Central Africa and will be instrumental in undertaking marine operations including berthing and un-berthing of ships. She becomes the largest tug in a fleet of five.
The vessel is named after the late capt. Eugene Okoth, who passed on whilst performing pilotage duties on board an inbound vessel (car carrier) on a 3rd Shift at 0100hrs in April 2016.
A fourth berth has already been constructed provisionally which will be fitted with facilities in future commensurate with demand to be able to handle a fourth ship.