Dangote refinery: Second ship delivers more equipment to Lamu
The second equipment batch for the Dangote East African oil refinery project arrives at the Lamu Port in this photo, taken on October 20, 2026. Over 154 assorted construction equipment items were offloaded from Mv Great Prosperity, a Hong Kong-flagged dry bulk carrier, at the Lamu Port.
Lamu Port has received a second ship carrying cargo for the construction of the Sh2 trillion Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals SEZ, signaling growing momentum in the development of the plant.
MV Great Prosperity from China docked at the Lamu Port site in Kililana on Monday, delivering 154 pieces of heavy construction equipment for the planned Lamu plant.
Speaking to the Nation on Tuesday, Lamu Port General Manager Captain Abdulaziz Mzee termed the arrival of MV Great Prosperity a significant milestone for regional trade and maritime business.
The second equipment batch for the Dangote East African oil refinery project arrives at the Lamu Port in this photo, taken on October 20, 2026. Over 154 assorted construction equipment items were offloaded from Mv Great Prosperity, a Hong Kong-flagged dry bulk carrier, at the Lamu Port.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Dangote East Africa Refinery and Petrochemicals SEZ was held at the Lamu Port in Kililana on September 30 and presided over by President William Ruto and four other heads of state.
Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote also attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the 700,000-barrel-a-day Lamu plant.
According to Mr Mzee, the operations of the mega Dangote refinery will depend heavily on Lamu Port infrastructure for importing crude oil feedstock and exporting refined petroleum products such as diesel, aviation fuel and gasoline. This is expected to drive higher vessel traffic, port revenues and economic activity.
“I am happy that the plant is heavily boosting our port business as it forces a continuous stream of ships bringing cargo for the construction of the refinery project,” said Mr Mzee.
He said more vessels were expected to call at Lamu Port to deliver construction equipment for the refinery.
“We’re expecting more equipment for the Lamu Plant construction to come via road from Mombasa. We’ve had ships that delivered the equipment at the Mombasa Port. More ships are also expected to dock here to deliver the same in the coming weeks,” said Mr Mzee.
The second equipment batch for the Dangote East African oil refinery project arrives at the Lamu Port in this photo, taken on October 20, 2026. Over 154 assorted construction equipment items were offloaded from Mv Great Prosperity, a Hong Kong-flagged dry bulk carrier, at the Lamu Port.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor Development Authority confirmed the arrival of the equipment at Lamu Port. The authority added that each shipment strengthens Kenya's position as a premier trade and logistics gateway in East Africa.
“We remain committed to delivering a transformative Corridor that drives jobs, trade, and prosperity,” it stated.
The latest shipment follows the arrival of the first consignment on September 26, 2026, when another vessel, MV Da Yang Bai, delivered 2,930.295 metric tonnes of construction equipment and materials.
The proposed refinery is expected to reduce Kenya’s dependence on imported petroleum products and support the development of the country’s oil industry.
The integrated complex will also include a power plant with a capacity of about 1,000 megawatts, fertiliser production facilities and petrochemical units.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, investor Aliko Dangote announced that construction of the plant would take about 40 months, with operations targeted for early 2030.
“Lekki refinery in Nigeria proved that it is capable, so Lamu must prove that it can be repeated,” said Mr Dangote.
The project is projected to create approximately 60,000 jobs during construction and operations.
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