Bollore Logistics Kenya in major cargo transport from port of Mombasa to Kwale

May 10, 2018: Bolloré Logistics Industrial Projects team in Kenya was recently tasked to provide customs clearance and Out of Gauge transportation for a massive piece of mining equipment.

The equipment, 17-metre-long and 6-metre-wide, was transported from port of Mombasa to Base Titanium Limited’s mining site in Kwale. The distance was approximately 53 kilometres.

The Projects Team conducted a survey and formulated a Local Execution Plan for client approval, which proposed a barge operation involving crossing the Mombasa Island through Kilindini Harbour to Likoni, at the southern end of the island from where the cargo would be transported by road.

A team of 20 Bolloré Logistics staff were involved in the actual operation. The equipment was discharged directly from the vessel and onto a Heavy-Duty Modular trailer already positioned on the barge.

“Due to the weight of the cargo, the barge was staged for 48 hours awaiting high tide to enable the unloading of cargo. A dedicated ferry from the Kenya Ferry Services was used to tow the barge across the harbour to the Likoni side of the ferry. This operation took place from midnight into the early hours of the morning, with the positioning of the barge and offloading at the other side of the harbour, taking five hours due to tidal and ramp positions,” the transport and logistics company mentioned through a statement on its website.

After the Ferry Crossing, the cargo was transported by road, with both police escort and an escort from the electricity supplier, Kenya Power, who lifted any power cables that hang too low for the cargo to pass safely.

On arrival to the site, the team used a combination of Enerpac and Hydraulic Jacks to lift the cargo, and steel beams for support to securely offload the cargo.