Operations at the Kenya Pipeline Corporation (KPC) oil jetty in Kisumu have been ramped up following the introduction of a second cargo ship to ferry fuel from the depot to Uganda through Lake Victoria.
The vessel christened MT Elgon has a capacity of 4,500 cubic metres and will complement MT Kabaka Mutebi II which was introduced in 2022 making a combined four trips per week.
Operated by Lake Victoria Logistics Limited, the two vessels are set to revolutionise transportation of petroleum products in the East African region cutting on costs incurred transporting the products by road.
Lake Victoria Logistics Limited Chairman Dr. Steve Mainda said the new vessel would advance safe and efficient transport of petroleum products across Lake Victoria to Uganda for onward delivery by road to Rwanda, South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This, he said, follows the success registered by MT Kabaka Mutebi II which has so far completed 70 successful voyages since the Sh1.7 billion oil jetty was operationalized.
He said one voyage was equivalent to about 150 tracks transporting the commodity by road from Kisumu to Jinja, adding that the move was set to cut costs involved in road maintenance.
“We thank the two governments (Kenya and Uganda) for creating an enabling environment for us to do business. This jetty is a wonderful facility. Without this infrastructure, these ships would not have been here,” he said.
The company, he added, plans to introduce a third ship which will further reduce the pressure on roads and the dangers involved transporting petroleum products on tracks.
KPC Kisumu depot manager, Engineer Charles Sambu said the deployment of the two vessels was a milestone in the utilisation of the oil jetty which was established in the year 2018.
Petroleum products from the Kisumu depot, he added were being transported through tracks and rail wagons, adding that the entrance of the two vessels will enhance efficiency and operations at the facility.
This, he added, was set to curb cases of fuel adulteration which are quite common when transporting the commodities by road.
To enhance capacity, KPC, he added, was in the process of constructing additional storage tanks at the depot to attract more merchants keen on transporting the commodities through the lake.
Loading at the jetty, he said, was being carried out during the weekends and at night during weekdays to allow for loading of tracks and rail wagons.
Kisumu Port Manager Charles Kitur said the renewed interest in the port was a result of years of hard work to bring back the facility to life after being moribund for decades.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in collaboration with other state agencies, he said has mapped the routes within the lake and developed a navigation aid to open up the lake for transportation of goods and people.
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He said transporting fuel through the lake was cost effective adding that the Kisumu port was now linked to the Port of Mombasa with the intermodal transport in place guaranteeing safety of goods all the way to Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“When you see the crossing of two ships, one leaving and another one coming, it is not by chance. Our trade volumes have increased following the various interventions we have put in place. The lake has been dormant but now it is picking up and the growth is very fast,” he said.
Kitur officially welcomed the MT Elgon vessel on behalf of the KPA Managing Director William Ruto and presented a certificate of first call along with a commemorative plaque to the vessel’s captain, Debashish Kumar.
MT Elgon joins a fleet that includes MT Kabaka Mutebi II, MV Uhuru II, MV Uhuru, MV Orion II, and Orion III, with MV Uhuru II which was constructed in Kisumu having made its maiden call to Jinja last month.
Fredrick Odiero
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