President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to inspect the progress of ongoing works at the new Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT) on the 6th January 2022.
The new KOT is an off-shore facility located at the Port of Mombasa, opposite to the existing Kipevu Oil Terminal.
The project consists of one offshore island terminal with four berths whose total length is 770m, one workboat wharf at Westmont area for landing facilities.
It also has five sub-sea pipelines which were buried 26meters under the seabed to allow for future dredging of the channel without interfering with the pipes.
The project which started in February 2019, is being constructed by the China Communication Construction Company at a contract price of Ksh. 40 billion for a contract period of 40moths.
The project is on schedule despite challenges occasioned by Covid-19 Pandemic interferences.
Currently, the project is at 96 per cent complete and is expected to be ready and tested for operations by end of March 2022.
Once complete the new oil terminal facility will have four berths (one not fully equipped) capable of handling six different hydrocarbon import and export products; it is also fitted with a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) facility, crude oil and heavy fuel oil. It also has provisions for handling three types of white oil products (DPK – aviation fuel, AGO – diesel and PMS – petrol).
The Terminal will for a start be able to accommodate three ships concurrently with a capacity of 200,000 tons each.
A fourth berth has already been constructed provisionally, which will be fitted with facilities in future commensurate with demand, to be able to handle four ships at a go.
This new Oil Terminal will effectively replace the old Kipevu Oil Terminal situated on the mainland Port Reitz.
The Old KOT is a single jetty with a capacity to accommodate only one vessel at any given time.
