A locally made ship for transportation of heavy machinery and marine projects cargo along the East African coast has been unveiled.
The vessel made by Southern Engineering Company (SECO) was unveiled in Mombasa on July 21 this year and is touted to be a milestone in Kenya's journey towards local manufacturing and sea transport.
The company said the vessel carries the capacity of 2500 dead weight tonnage equivalent to 150 truckloads.
An official from the firm also revealed that the vessel will be deployed for use in the construction of the Lamu Port and other offshore projects along the West of Indian Ocean and inland water bodies like Lake Turkana.
SECO's Director in charge of Administration John Msafari said the vessel was built by skilled manpower from Kenya and inspected by highly qualified quality inspectors from outside the country.
Speaking at the launch, SECO Technical Director Jayesh Mehta said said that the vessel can also benefit local seafarers who have on several occasions complained of lack of a ship for training.
"This vessel is the first to be designed and built in Kenya under internationally recognised classification standards. It meets the Indian Ocean Register of Shipping or IRCLASS," said Mehta.
He said that the vessel has the capacity to carry various aggregated project cargo, heavy vehicles, trucks and cranes and can access areas that are inaccessible to normal ships.