The port of Mombasa has received 30 new terminal tractors [TTs] worth Sh 273.4 million aimed at improving efficiency of cargo handling to boost port operations and business.

Kenya Ports Authority [KPA] acting Managing Director Rashid Salim said the acquisition of the new terminal tractors is an integral part of the authority’s transformative initiative.

He said the newly acquired equipements will be additional to the current fleet of 102 TTs making the complement to a total of 132 terminal tractors at the port of Mombasa.

“The equipments are vital as they serve the ship by receiving containers from the Ship-to-Shore Gantry cranes to the yard and vice versa,” he pointed out.

Rashid added the newly acquired equipments are necessary for enhancing performance of the entire terminal.

He spoke during the commissioning of the tractors at the second container terminal.

The KPA boss said the new equipements will go a long way in enhancing the port capacity to handle cargo. 

In his speech, Rashid acknowledged that the  throughput they can achieve per berth at a particular port will increase with the size of the average container exchange.

He added the average size of ships visiting the port, and the level of port equipment with local ports tend to handle small, often semi-container ships discharging modest volumes of containers at multi-purpose berths

“Since the port of Mombasa envisages a world class port of choice we must continuously upgrade the port cargo handling capacity that includes the acquiring of new equipment,” he pointed out.

The KPA MD added this includes the increase of berths and yard capacity, the depth of the channel and berths, the upgrading of the information and communications technology (ICT) systems, and above all the enhancement of manpower through training.