Shipyards Directory

Kenya Shipyards Limited

shipyard Orongo, Kenya

Kenya Shipyards Limited (KSL) is a state-owned shipyard under Kenya's Ministry of Defence, established by National Security Council executive order in August 2020 and incorporated the following month with the National Treasury as sole shareholder. It builds, repairs, refits, maintains and overhauls vessels for the Kenya Navy, government ministries, departments and agencies, and commercial clients, and also undertakes civil maritime and rail works, dredging and locomotive remanufacturing. Projects cited include construction of a 100-metre wagon ferry (MV Uhuru II) floated at Kisumu in August 2022, a mid-life refit of KNS Shupavu, and repairs for operators such as Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Ferry Services, Kenya Maritime Authority and Kenya Wildlife Service. KSL operates yards at Mtongwe in Mombasa and at Kisumu Port, with a head office in Nairobi, and works with Damen Shipyards under a technology-transfer framework agreement.

Kenya Shipyards Limited

Kenya Shipyards Limited (KSL) is a state company under Kenya's Ministry of Defence, approved by the National Security Council on 14 August 2020 and incorporated on 29 September 2020 with the National Treasury as sole shareholder. Its mandate is to lead and catalyse the development of a shipbuilding industry in Eastern Africa, serving the Kenya Navy and government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) while using spare capacity for regional public and private clients. KSL states that construction work follows the standards of major classification societies including Lloyd's Register, Bureau Veritas and China Classification Society, and it has a framework agreement with Damen for technology transfer, building assistance and yard upgrades.

Services

  • New ship design, construction and manufacture of ship components
  • Ship repair (onshore and offshore), maintenance and emergency repairs
  • Ship refit, conversion and mid-life overhaul, including hull and deck repairs, electrical/mechanical upgrades, interior and exterior renovation and safety equipment upgrades
  • Ship overhaul of mechanical and electrical installations
  • Maintenance planning, scheduling and inspection programmes
  • Design and construction of offshore and floating dry docking facilities
  • Dredging, including approaches to Kisumu Port
  • Civil maritime and rail works: heavy civil construction and infrastructure, site improvement, railroad maintenance, coastal, estuary and offshore civil works
  • Remanufacturing and revitalisation of Kenya Railways locomotives
  • Apprentice training, capacity building and maritime outreach under its CSR programme

Vessel Types

  • Barges and hopper barges
  • Fishing boats and fishing trawlers
  • Seagoing and harbour tugs, pilot boats, speedboats
  • Dredgers, freighters and oil tankers
  • Ferries and passenger ferries, including a 100 m wagon ferry
  • Ocean survey and research vessels, yachts
  • Naval craft including fast attack craft and logistic support ships

Facilities

  • Kisumu Shipyard, used for construction of MV Uhuru II and currently being upgraded to expand shipbuilding and repair areas
  • Mtongwe slipway, Mombasa, used for the KNS Shupavu refit
  • Central railway workshops in Nairobi for locomotive work
  • In-house teams of marine engineers, naval architects, production engineers, design, project management and quality assurance engineers

Location

  • Head office: Herufi House, Treasury Buildings, Nairobi, Kenya
  • Mombasa Shipyard: next to Kenya Navy Base, Mtongwe, Mombasa
  • Kisumu Shipyard: next to Kisumu Port, along Marine Drive, Kisumu