The Port of Lamu has made another milestone after a mega ship docked at the facility as the country looks to open a new transport corridor linking its vast northern region and neighbouring nations to the sea.
MV Baltimore Express, measuring 369 metres in length, left Nhava Sheva Port in India for the Port of Salalah in Oman before arriving at the Lamu Port on Monday.
Its final destination is the Port of Tangier Med, the largest container port in Morocco.
The vessel operated by German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd, had to pass through the Port of Lamu to shift risky cargo safely, by repositioning the containers aboard the vessel in compliance with the International Maritime Organization.
This call follows the earlier record set by a sister vessel MV Nagoya Express, a 335 metre container ship which docked at the Port of Lamu in August 2025.
Lamu Port General Manager Abdulaziz Mzee said the docking signifies the facility’s ability to handle ultra-large vessels.
‘This call lifts Lamu’s profile on the global maritime map,’ said Mr Mzee.
Lamu Port is unique compared to other regional ports owing to its naturally deep harbour.
For instance, the Lamu Port’s first three operationalised berths have deeper and larger depths and length compared to ports like Mombasa.
The Port of Lamu berths feature a depth of 17.5m and 400m quay lengths accommodating massive, modern Panamax vessels. On the other hand, Mombasa Port’s berths are 15m deep and 300m in length per each.
Lamu Port is, therefore, designed for larger vessels of up to 12,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEUs) while Mombasa Port handles smaller ships of up to 10,000 TEUs.
‘Many other African ports require constant dredging to deepen seabeds enough to accommodate mega ships and stay competitive. That’s a plus for us,’ said Mr Mzee.
Kenyan officials are betting on the Lamu Port to attract cargo destined for neighbouring landlocked nations Ethiopia and South Sudan, and hope to offer transhipment services where large vessels bring in cargo for onward distribution by smaller ships.
Mr Mzee reckons that the natural advantage enables Lamu to rival the world’s most modern ports, positioning it not only as a transshipment gateway but also as a strategic hub capable of handling very high cargo volumes.
The Sh310 billion Lamu Port was operationalised on May 20, 2021 with only 12 vessels recorded within that particular year.
The year 2022, however, seems to be the worst for Lamu Port as it recorded a significant drop in vessel call-ins with only four (4) received.
In 2023, a total of 36 vessels docked at the port while 20 were recorded in the following year 2024.
Despite an initial low response in terms of vessel call-ins, there has been an increase in recent years.
A total of 155 vessels docked at Lamu Port in 2025 while 125 vessels have so far docked at the same facility as of May 11,2026.