Kenya Ports Authority
Port Control Tower
New Harbour Control Tower
DWARFING the nearby Mombasa city skyline is one of East Africa’s tallest and most impressive structures – the Kenya Ports Authority’s 89 metre high harbour control tower.
The state-of-the-art VTMS installed in the control tower has been provided by the UK’s Transas Marine, which was also responsible for installing additional equipment at the Ras Serani Station, Likoni Sector Light and at the head office of the KPA.
Construction of the tower structure at an estimated cost of KES 700 million was completed in 2007. But the trickier and more complex installation of the electronics, including the all-important Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) and associated equipment together costing a further KES 120 million, was not finalised until mid-2009.
High-performance
The imposing control tower forms a key part of a KPA’s ambitious programme to transform the Port of Mombasa into a world-class port over a 10-year period. The tower significantly improves both navigational safety and overall security within the Mombasa harbour area.
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In terms of overall port and harbour area security, the contract with Transas included the supply of two high-performance coastal surveillance radars, closedcircuit television, the latest automatic identification system (AIS) base stations, VHF and HF base stations together with ancillary equipment. The VTS and marine surveillance systems comply with IALA VTS guidelines, the ISPS Code and all the applicable IMO conventions, including Solas Chapter V, Regulation 8-2, and take full account of the Port Marine Safety Code.