The Kenya Navy, a branch of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), will soon enjoy state of the art infrastructure after the completion of its ship under construction at the Mombasa Shipyard.
The project to refit the KDF ship named KNS Shupavu kicked off at around June in 2021 during the era of former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime.
As of Tuesday, November 15, the project had made major strides including the installation of gearbox.
"KSL is on course to deliver the Ship in time for maritime operations," Kenya Shipyards Limited, which has been tasked with refitting the ship, assured.
In October, the team successfully worked on the ship's Engine Control Room (ECR).
ECR is located at the aft and on the main deck level of the ship. It houses the main switchboard and the ship’s service switchboard for control and distribution of the electrical power made and used onboard a ship.
The project was the first ever commissioned after Kenyatta commissioned the Kenya Shipyards Limited (KSL) Mombasa Shipyard.
The shipyard comprises a 4 000-ton slipway for shipbuilding activities including refitting of vessels.
The ship's body works are almost complete with cable dressing in KNS Shupavu's bridge area among other works.
During Mombasa Shipyard's launch, Kenyatta hailed the project as a game changer and bigger contributor in the country's Blue Economy.
“The direct, indirect and induced impacts of the Mombasa Shipyard will create many jobs, generate diverse investment opportunities and raise revenue for the country.
“The key sub-sectors of the blue economy, which include maritime transport and logistics, fisheries, as well as ship-building and repair, represent low hanging fruits that must be exploited,” explained Uhuru.
Here are more images:
