Kilindini Harbour

Kilindini Harbour
Mombasa Port
Port of Mombasa
Map
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Location
Country Kenya
LocationMombasa, Mombasa County
Coordinates4°03′19″S 39°39′07″E / 4.05528°S 39.65194°E / -4.05528; 39.65194
UN/LOCODEKEKIL[1]
Details
Opened1896; 128 years ago (1896)
Type of harbourNatural/Artificial
Draft depth17.5 m (57 ft)
Statistics
Annual cargo tonnage14 Million year 2020[2]
Website
Kenya Ports Authority

Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is 25–30 fathoms (46–55 m) at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of 17.5 m (57 ft).[3] It serves as the harbour for Mombasa, with a hinterland extending to Uganda. Kilindini Harbour is the main part of the Port of Mombasa, the only international seaport in Kenya and the biggest port in east Africa.[4] It is managed by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). Apart from cargo handling, Mombasa is frequented by cruise ships.

Kilindini is a Swahili term meaning "deep down" or "in the depths"[5] in reference to the depth of the channel. Kilindini Harbor is an example of a natural geographic phenomenon called a ria, formed millions of years ago when the sea level rose and engulfed a river that was flowing from the mainland.

  1. ^ "UNLOCODE (KE) – KENYA". service.unece.org. UNECE. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  2. ^ "The Changing Face of Kenya's Public Transport System | MegaProjects Kenya". Megaprojects.co.ke. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Port of Mombasa, Kenya". findaport.com. Shipping Guides Ltd. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Africa's ports: The bottleneck: New investment alone will not fix Africa's ports. Governments need to deal with pilfering officials, too". The Economist. 19 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Google Translate". Retrieved 13 December 2022.