Before the launch of the new Sh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal in Mombasa, the old facility that had been in existence for six decades could only handle 35,000 tonnes of cargo at a time. It could also accommodate one vessel at a time of upto 120,000 dead weight tonnage.
But the new offshore terminal has changed the fortunes of the Mombasa port, which is facing increased threat from neighbouring ports in Tanzania and Djibouti, given that it will handle four vessels of up to 200,000 dead weight tonnage at a time. This means that at optimum, in seven days, it would handle what the old port would do in a month.
