The Port serves the Kenya hinterland by exporting important agricultural products and supporting the foundation of the country’s economy. In addition to serving Kenya, the port serves countries in inland Africa such as Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and even further afield. Inland onward transportation is provided by truck and train, and special railtainer services operate from the port to inland container depots.
Dredging and construction of the new berth and extension of the existing facilities both commenced in June last year with dredging scheduled to be also completed at the end of this year. Dutch-based Van Ord Dredging won the dredging contract. The two projects are being funded by the Kenyan Government and will, cost in excess of £71 million. Dredging alone will cost nearly £39 million.
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) won the contract to construct Berth 19 and associated works. To drive the piles required for the berth’s foundations the company purchased a BSP International Foundations (BSP) piling hammer and power pack through BSP’s Chinese dealer, Shanghai Trust Machinery. The CG240 hammer with a dropweight of 16t and powered by a BSP HP250 power pack was used to drive approximately 300 tubular steel piles, 813mm in diameter, a wall thickness of 16mm and ranging in length from 20m to 36m. Each pile is designed to take a bearing load of 240t.
The CG range of BSP’s heavy-duty impact piling hammers offers dropweights from 12t up to 40t are designed for driving a variety of bearing piles including steel tube, combi piles, H-sections and reinforced/pre-stressed concrete piles and can be operated from piling rig leaders or crane suspended. Key features include total control of hammer stroke and blow rate, allows precise matching of energy to suit the pile driving requirements and easy access to the cylinder and dropweight connection for servicing. In addition, an optional digital readout of hammer performance is offered in a choice of units – stroke or energy.
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A choice of three Hydro Packs is available which are powered by either turbocharged Perkins or Caterpillar diesel engines developing 71kW up to 250kW. These BSP units have been specifically developed by the Ipswich-based company to maximise the performance of its piling hammers. The existing container terminal berths at Mombasa were designed to accommodate ships 180m long but most now calling at the Port today measure 230m. The three container berths have a total length of 600m and are being extended to 760m which will allow three vessels each with a length of 235m and leave a 215m safety allowance.
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This project is the first port construction project undertaken by CRBC in Kenya with a construction period of two years and will further expand the throughput of Mombasa, consolidate its role as the largest port in East Africa, optimise CRBC’s business structure in Kenya and lay the foundation for future development of the Kenyan infrastructural construction market. |