Kenya's Railway Opening to Traffic in Mid-2017
The tracks for a new, faster railway linking the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa to Kenya's capital will be laid by the end of 2016 and will open for commercial traffic on target in June 2017, the chairman of Kenya Railways said on Friday. The Chinese-financed project is the first stage in a scheme that aims to extend to Uganda and other land-locked states. The goal is to cut the cost of transport and boost trade, by replacing a narrow-gauge line that has slower top speeds. "We're ahead of schedule," Kenya Railways managing director Atanas Maina said in Nairobi. Kenya had aimed to complete 40 percent of civil works, ranging from laying track to fixing bridges, by the end of 2015. It is now on track to complete half the by year end.
Evalend to Join Lasco Logger Pool
Two of Evalend Shipping Co. S.A. newly purchased logger ships, the Ambassador and the Senator, have been placed in the Lasco Logger Pool. Evalend, a private management company in Athens, Greece, operates ten ships in its fleet, committed two Hakodate built loggers to the Pool, which is commercially managed by Lasco. Evalend will perform its own technical management of its vessels. In commenting on the announcement, Anton U. Pardini, President/COO of Lasco, said that EVALEND’S participation in the Pool “…reflects Lasco’s ongoing efforts to establish strategic partnerships with other maritime ventures who share a common vision and philosophy…
British Group Wins Contract For Management Of Mozambique Port
Mozambique has awarded a British consortium a management contract for its Maputo port, including a 15-year lease, according to the British High Commission. Officials said a consortium headed by the British Mersey Docks and Harbor Co. - which runs the port of Liverpool - had won the contract, which allows for the private management of the port. The agreement will reportedly lead to $50 million investment in revamping the port, though it wasn't immediately clear how this would be financed.
