Mark Agutu
13 July 2011
Nairobi — A ship carrying assorted military hardware believed to be destined for South Sudan has docked at the port of Mombasa.
The British-flagged Eddystone docked at the port in the wee hours of Wednesday and proceeded to Berth One, which was cleared for it.
However, mystery surrounds the destination of the hardware after the Kenya Military denied it belongs to them.
Military spokesman John Mwandikwa confirmed the arrival of the hardware but said there were many port users and any of them could be the owners of the equipment.
“It (military equipment) does not belong to us (Kenya). Check with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) or other government agencies to find out who the real owners are,” Mr Mwandikwa said over phone when the Nation sought his comments.
No comments were forthcoming from KPA as officers contacted were reluctant to talk about the matter, instead referring the Nation to the military.
A source within the maritime industry, however, told the Nation: “Just like the last consignment, these, too, are heading to South Sudan.
“But one cannot dismiss the possibility that they could belong to Kenya.”
No-go zone
On Wednesday, the usually busy Berth One, normally reserved for cruise ships, was a no-go zone after Kenya Navy personnel, backed by General Service Unit officers and British sailors, threw a cordon around the ship’s entry point.
A large consignment of new small and large military trucks, among them several ambulances, could be seen parked in an enclosed and heavily guarded yard within the port.
It could not be immediately established whether they had been offloaded from the ship.
It is suspected that the off-loading started in the wee hours after the ship’s arrival but was suspended.
It was expected to resume later in the evening. An online search revealed that the towering Eddystone is a London registered ship, weighing 13,274 tonnes. It is 192 metres long and 26 metres wide.
Its hull is painted green and the deck white, with a chimney skirted in green, yellow and black colours.
Mombasa port has been one of the major transit points of arms within the region, with neighbouring countries importing arms through the port.
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Puzzle As Arms Ship Docks At Mombasa Port