along the East African coast.
An official from the firm said that the vessel will be deployed for use in the construction of Lamu Port and other offshore projects along the West of Indian Ocean and inland water bodies like Lake Turkana.
Southern Engineering Company (SECO) said the vessel known as a barge has the capacity of 2500 dead weight tonnage equivalent to 150 truckloads.
SECO’s Director in charge of Administration, Mr John Msafari, said the vessel has been built by skilled manpower numbering 80 from Kenya and inspected by highly qualified quality inspectors from outside the country.
He said that the vessel built in a record six months using 850 T of marine grade steel cost their client sh180 million.
Msafari said that the vessel can also benefit local seafarers who have on several occasion 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 Register of Shipping or IRCLASS,” said SECO Technical Manager, Mr. Jayesh 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.
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