| Kilindini Harbour Mombasa Port | |
|---|---|
 Port of Mombasa | |
 Interactive map of Kilindini Harbour Mombasa Port | |
  Kilindini Harbour Mombasa Port Location in Kenya | |
| Location | |
| Country |  Kenya |
| Location | Mombasa,Mombasa County |
| Coordinates | 4°03′19″S39°39′07″E / 4.05528°S 39.65194°E /-4.05528; 39.65194 |
| UN/LOCODE | KEKIL[1] |
| Details | |
| Opened | 1896; 130 years ago (1896) |
| Operated by | Kenya Ports Authority |
| Owned by | Government of Kenya |
| Type ofharbour | Natural/Artificial |
| Draft depth | 17.5 m (57 ft) |
| Statistics | |
| Annual cargotonnage | 14 Million year 2020[2] |
| Website Kenya Ports Authority | |
Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland fromMombasa,Kenya. It is 25–30 fathoms (46–55 m) at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of 17.5 m (57 ft).[3] It serves as the harbour forMombasa, with ahinterland extending toUganda. Kilindini Harbour is the main part of thePort of Mombasa, the only international seaport in Kenya and the biggest port ineast Africa.[4] It is managed by theKenya Ports Authority (KPA). Apart from cargo handling, Mombasa is frequented bycruise ships.
Kilindini is a Swahili term meaning "deep down" or "in the depths"[5] in reference to the depth of the channel. Kilindini Harbor is an example of a natural geographic phenomenon called aria, formed millions of years ago when the sea level rose and engulfed a river that was flowing from the mainland.
Mombasa has a centuries-old history as a harbour city. The Kilindini harbour was inaugurated in 1896 when work started on the construction of theUganda Railway.
DuringWorld War II, while Kenya was a British colony, Kilindini became the temporary base of theBritish Eastern Fleet from early 1942 until theJapanese naval threat toColombo, Ceylon (nowSri Lanka) had been removed. Nearby, theFar East Combined Bureau, an outstation of the British code-breaking operation atBletchley Park, was housed in a requisitioned school (Allidina Visram High School, Mombasa) and had success in breakingJapanese naval codes.[6][7]
On 29 August 2013, expansion of the port enabled it to handle Panamax Vessels. The project was launched in July 2011 at a cost of $82.15 million by the Kenyan Government and was carried out byChina Roads and Bridge Corporation. A new berth, Berth 19, with 6.1 ha (15 acres) of stacking yard, has provided additional annual capacity of 200,000TEU.The project is to increase the port throughput by 33%, consolidating the leading status of Mombasa as well as Kenya in East Africa.[8] This expansion came alongside plans to construct railways better linking the port to Uganda and Rwanda.[9]
The Kenyan Government has also started facilitating the development of a Free Port on a 1,200 ha (3,000 acres) of land owned by the Authority at Dongo Kundu area through public private partnership arrangements. Also underway is the Road Bypass project to link the project area and Mombasa – Lunga Lunga – Nairobi Highway.[10] Known as theDongo Kundu bypass the projects aim is to ease traffic flow to Kenya's South Coast. Construction is to begin in late 2013.[11] Construction was completed in July 2024 and is now operational.[citation needed]
A new international seaport, theLamu Port is under construction inLamu.[12][13] Lamu Port is to be larger than Kilindini Harbour but theKenya Ports Authority says that the two ports won't compete but complement each other.
The port will have 32 berths and dredged entrance channel done to 18 m (59 ft) to enable it to accommodate ships of 120,000DWT (Post-Panamax Vessels) The cost for the Short-term Plan for Lamu Port Project, including the first 3 berths, is estimated to be US$664 million. The First Phase is to be completed by 2016.[10]
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