By The Port of Lamu has recorded a significant milestone after receiving its first Roll-On-Roll-Off (RoRo) car carrier vessel, further cementing the facility’s growing stature as a regional maritime hub.
The MV Grande Auckland, a Pure Car Carrier (PCC) vessel with a 900-unit capacity and of European origin, made its maiden call at the Lamu Port facility in Kililana, Lamu West on today, offloading 469 vehicles out of 1,200 units on board.
The vehicles, manufactured in Europe over the past two years, were originally destined for Middle East countries and were scheduled for discharge at the Port of Jebel Ali in the Arabian Gulf — the region’s largest and busiest port.
However, escalating tensions arising from the ongoing conflict in the Persian Gulf necessitated a rerouting of the vessel to Lamu.
The remaining vehicles will be transported to Mumbai, India, with the vessel having departed Lamu on Wednesday.
Speaking during the vessel’s reception, Port of Lamu General Manager Captain Abdulaziz Mzee said the milestone demonstrated growing international confidence in the port’s operational capacity.
“I am happy that today we have received the first ever motor vehicle carrier vessel, MV Grande Auckland, here at Lamu Port signifying that this maiden call is an opportunity for other stakeholders and cargo shipping lines to have confidence in the Port of Lamu and to have more Roll-On-Roll-Off car carriers calling the facility,” Captain Mzee said.
He presented a certificate of first call to the vessel’s master, Captain Uros Golsuf, and commended Nisomar Shipping Agency Limited for selecting Lamu as the preferred transshipment point.
Captain Mzee noted that at least 43 cargo vessels, including container carriers and fishing vessels, had docked at Lamu Port between January and March this year.
He added that since the port’s commissioning on May 20, 2021, the facility has received between 130 and 143 vessels — a figure he described as indicative of steady growth.
Nisomar Shipping Agency’s Chartering and Business Development Manager for Africa, Munir Minas, who represents the Grimaldi Shipping Line, said the decision to call at Lamu was made after careful evaluation of regional port options.
“The decision was made very easily, with Lamu Port topping the charts compared to other ports in the region, especially in terms of efficiency of cargo handling and economic savings. The distance between Lamu and the Middle East was also part of the determining factors,” said Minas.
He said the 469 vehicles offloaded at Lamu would remain at the port for one to two months pending an assessment of the security situation in the Persian Gulf, after which a separate carrier would be dispatched to transport them to their intended destinations in the Middle East.
The latest milestone comes on the back of a series of historic firsts at the facility. In May 2024, Lamu received its first bulk carrier vessel, MV Abbay II, carrying fertiliser destined for the Ethiopian transit market.
In August 2025, the port welcomed MV Nagoya Express — the longest vessel ever to dock at an East African port — a 335-metre container ship operated by German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd, which collected 140 transshipped TEUs destined for New York.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) officials have maintained that the successive milestones reinforce Lamu Port’s positioning as a rising regional trade hub, noting that the facility’s deep-water berths and wide turning basin are capable of accommodating ultra-large vessels that cannot be handled at the Port of Mombasa.
