The Port of Lamu has scripted maritime history, receiving the MV Baltimore Express, a colossal 368-metre Hapag-Lloyd container vessel flying the Liberian flag
The Baltimore Express is now the largest vessel ever to berth at any port along the East African coast, surpassing the 335-metre MV Nagoya Express, which itself had only recently set the record when it made its inaugural call at Lamu in August 2025.
The arrival of the Baltimore Express is the latest in a series of milestones that signal Lamu’s accelerating emergence as a world-class maritime facility.
Lamu Port Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) General Manager Captain Abdulaziz Mzee confirmed that the port has received 120 vessel calls so far this year, a figure that reflects a dramatic and sustained spike in traffic.
Among those calls have been multiple inaugural visits from major global carriers, a trend Captain Abdulaziz described as a vote of confidence from the international shipping community.
“We have been receiving inaugural calls consistently this year with the Baltimore Express being the latest and certainly the most significant to date, further underscoring that Lamu is now firmly on the global shipping map,” Captain Abdulaziz noted.
He revealed that MV Baltimore Express made the port of call at the Lamu Port to be able to rearrange dangerous/corrosive cargo well following safety concerns by the ship pointing out that the Port of Lamu is increasingly being trusted as a safe and efficient port within the region.
The port has recorded a sharp uptick in vessel categories, particularly car carriers and container ships, which are driving volumes and reinforcing Lamu’s transshipment credentials.
Captain Abdulaziz stated that Lamu’s deep-water berths, expansive turning basin, and modern handling infrastructure give it a decisive edge in accommodating the new generation of mega-vessels that increasingly dominate global trade routes.
“Vessels of this size face serious maneuvering constraints at Mombasa Port,” he said further emphasizing that Lamu’s configuration allows us to safely receive and turn ships that other regional ports simply cannot handle.
This natural and engineered advantage is backed by significant capital investment. KPA has poured resources into Lamu’s infrastructure, including the installation of high-capacity ship-to-shore gantry cranes, the kind of equipment that signals to global shipping lines that a port is serious about competing at the highest level.
The port recorded a total cargo throughput of 799,161 metric tons last year, a staggering leap from the 74,380 metric tons posted in 2024.
The growth, driven primarily by containerized cargo, represents an increase of more than 974 percent in a single year, a rate of expansion that is unprecedented in the region’s port history.
Speaking separately over the arrival of the MV Baltimore Express Kenya National Chamber of Commerce Lamu Branch Chairman Mohammed Skanda stated that the arrival of such vessels carries implications that stretch well beyond the port itself.
He reiterated that Lamu’s growing stature as a transshipment hub will soon start attracting supporting industries such as logistics firms, freight forwarders, ship chandlers, bunkering operations, and maritime services that will then generate employment and economic activity for Lamu County and the broader coastal region.
by Amenya Ochieng
