According to a statement from KPA, the Azimuth Stern Driven (ASD) tugboat has been christened MV Pate after one of the Lamu Islands.
The vessel, which was acquired for Sh1.4 billion boasts a bollard pull of 85 tons and a length overall of 29 metres.
It is fitted with two Caterpillar main engine series, a Rolls Royce propulsion system, modern winches and a firefighting system.
MV Pate shall be able to handle port and marine operations safely and efficiently and is estimated to serve the port for 20 years.
KPA also announced that it is expecting that a total of 37 vessels will call the Port of Mombasa in the next two weeks.
Out of the 37, Kenya expects 15 conventional cargo vessels handling both motor vehicle units and other loose cargo 19 container ships and three oil tankers.
The launch followed the arrival of the port’s first ship MV CAP Carmel which was followed by another Mv Seago Bremerhaven.
MV CAP Carmel started its voyage from Dar es Salaam to the Kenyan coast 8 days ago on May 11, 2021, and arrived ahead of the commissioning on May 20.
The container ship which was built in 2003 is sailing under the flag of Singapore and is operated by Maersk Shipping and Logistics, the world’s largest shipping line.
The two ships will be carrying avocados and an assortment of goods and signalled the start of operations after President Kenyatta commissioned the first berth at Lamu Port.
Once all the phases are complete, the port will have 32 berths, making it the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.
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