Mombasa Port receives two diesel electric cranes

The Kenyan port also received a $338 million loan from the Japanese government for the second phase of its container terminal expansion project, according to multiple news reports.    Mombasa Port received two “ultra-modern” diesel electric cranes last month as part of the “comprehensive program in supporting the Port of Mombasa’s resilient port infrastructure initiatives,” according to a statement from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
   The cranes, aimed at mitigating the negative effects on the environment, were funded by the Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) and the U.K. government’s International Climate Fund for $8.7 million, the KPA said.
   Additionally, multiple media outlets have reported that the KPA has received a 35 billion Kenya shilling (U.S. $338 million) loan from the Japanese government.
   According to the reports, KPA Managing Director Catherine Mturi-Wairi has said the authority will use the funds to begin second-phase construction on the second container terminal at the Mombasa Port. The second terminal was added to the port in early 2016, which boosted its container handling capacity by 50 percent.
   Slated for January 2018, the expansion of the second terminal will add 450,000 TEUs of handling capacity, reports state. The first phase, completed in September 2016, enabled the terminal to handle a total of 550,000 TEUs.