Over 30 global shipping firms are expected to tour the Port of Lamu ahead of the launch of the first new berth under the LAPSSET Corridor project scheduled for October this year.
The government is financing construction of the first three berths at Lamu Port with the other 29 berths expected to be funded by the private sector in a public private partnership deal.
The Lamu port is among key projects lined up in the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor, a trading route linking Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan aimed at easing the movement of goods and reduce congestion at the Port of Mombasa.
Ahead of the official launch in October of the first berth whose construction is at 98 percent complete, shipping firms are taking interest in the new infrastructural project.
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At least 33 shipping companies seeking to establish their networks along the LAPSSET Corridor have committed to tour the port next month.
The government is financing construction of the first three berths each with a capacity to dock two ships measuring 220 meters in length simultaneously.
Leaders say operationalization of the transport corridor will stir social economic impact for the region that has for eon relied on tourism activities.
Once complete the Lamu port is expected to open the country’s transit and transshipment business.