The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has adopted a Green Port Policy (GPP) at the Mombasa port with an aim to enhance environmental conservation.
This policy will require all ships calling at the Mombasa port to switch to electric power for their vessels instead of the diesel engines that are currently being used.
The Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Paul Maringa said Green Port Policy and Implementation plan had been drafted.
He added that the move will serve the purpose of enabling the port authorities in the assessment of the overall impact of port operations on the environment as well as identify mechanisms of abiding with international standards.
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It will also aid in designing an action plan with the best practices for the effective implementation of the same.
The project, which is being carried out with assistance from TradeMark East Africa, includes provision of electrical power to ships calling at the harbor in what is known as ‘cold ironing’.
Several power sub-stations have been put up within the expansive port berths.
The PS was speaking while officiating the opening of the first national workshop by Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre for Africa Region (MTCC-Africa) in Mombasa.
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) together with the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA) and KPA were selected to host MTCC-Africa.
The centre is expected to engage shipping lines and jointly develop methods of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, reporting mechanisms and reviewing protocols.
Data collected will be compared with a survey that will be undertaken at the early stages of the research process by the Kenya Meterological Department.
MTCC-Africa will then use the information from the survey to advise shipping companies on how to improve their operational efficiency. State Department for Maritime and Shipping Principal Secretary Nancy Karigithu said it was a big honor for Kenya to host the workshop.
