The Sh40 billion new Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT) will enable Kenya to double its capacity to handle transit petroleum products.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary David Chirchir termed the facility as a game changer for the country as Kenya moves to become the biggest petroleum products handler in the region.
“Kenya is poised to be the next petroleum giant in the region following heavy investments in the sector,” said Chirchir.
He said that the government was looking into supporting investments in storage and evacuation to match the capacity of the new facility.
CS Chirchir was speaking in Mombasa Monday during a courtesy call on the Coast Regional Commissioner John Elungata at his Uhuru na Kazi office. He also made a familiarization tour of KOT 1 and 2 and the Shimanzi Oil terminal.
The CS said the new Kipevu Oil Terminal is a very big investment for the country and measures will be put in place to improve the facility to position the country as a hub in the region and beyond.
The new oil terminal is an off-shore facility located at the Port of Mombasa, opposite the existing Kipevu Oil Terminal constructed in 1963.
The project consists of one offshore island terminal with four berths whose total length is 770m and one work boat wharf at Westmont area for landing facilities.
It also has five sub-sea pipelines buried 26 meters under the seabed to allow for future dredging of the channel without interfering with the pipes.
There are risers each dedicated to separate oil products and six onshore pipelines each dedicated to a separate oil product connecting the terminal to the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited and the Kenya Pipeline Company storage tanks.
The new terminal has four berths capable of handling six different hydrocarbon import and export products.
It is also fitted with a Liquid Petroleum Gas facility, crude oil and heavy fuel oil and it also has provisions for handling three types of white oil products including aviation fuel, diesel and petrol.
The terminal is capable of accommodating three ships concurrently with a capacity of 200,000 tons each.
By Mohamed Hassan
