Hapa Kazi Tu 02, the second in a series of two (2) cargo barges ordered by the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) was launched last week by the Kenya-based shipyard, Southern Engineering Co. Ltd (SECO) in Mombasa.
Constructed in steel and classed by Bureau Veritas, the vessel, whose principal dimensions include a length overall of 77.98 m, a breadth of 11.83 m and draft loaded of approx. 3 m, has a capacity to handle 2,000 tons of dry cargo or 72 TEUs (an equivalent of seventy-two 20-foot containers).
The first vessel of the same series, Hapa Kazi Tu 01 was launched on 31st July 2019. Both vessels are scheduled for delivery to the client by mid-March 2020 after final outfitting/sea-trials.
They will operate in and around the port of Tanga and the surrounding coastal waters
Buoyed by its success in building vessels over the years, SECO has lifted the country’s status as a shipbuilding hub. However, the potential it has created has not been utilized in the country due to lack of sufficient information on the industry’s dynamics by service users.
With local assembly, it is easier to provide after sales management at the facility’s dry dock. Local assembly also creates the growth of the needed technology, create a human resource of technical support and create more jobs with huge economic spill over.
Majoring in shipyard repairs and marine engineering services, other areas where SECO offers specialized services are pipework installation, offshore civil works such as the Lake Turkana Wind Power project where the company was constructing the service camp, design and project management.
Other services include tank construction and repairs, mechanical works and fabrication, specialized wielding, and lifting services including rental of such equipment.
SECO, which was established in 1957 and has a long history of marine engineering and today, it has developed shipbuilding and dry-docking facilities in a waterfront yard.
The company has in the past partnered with Damen Shipyards, a Netherlands based company, to assemble Mv Albert 1, a ferry for lake Albert in Uganda.
Measuring 42 metres by 15 metres and powered by four engines, Mv Albert 1 was built at a cost of $3 million (Sh310 million) and has a capacity of 250 passengers and 20 vehicles.
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