{Sources told the Nation that there are only eight pilots actively engaged in the business.}
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is facing an acute shortage of marine pilots and engineers, leading to overwork at the country’s main sea port.
Sources told the Nation that there are only eight pilots actively engaged in the business and it remains unclear how the port will deal with the problem.
“Ports everywhere in the world require an optimal number of 17 pilots, out of which 14 deal with the active day-to-day work while three handle administrative duties,” a source said.
Contacted for comment, marine analyst Andrew Mwangura claimed that the port of Mombasa has eight marine pilots, including head of marine operations, chief pilot and hydrographic officer.
According to him, the authority lost Captain Francis Muhia, who resigned to pursue greener postures in the Persian Gulf recently.
“The port also lost another pilot, a senior marine pilot, Captain Eugene Sylvester Okoth, who passed away recently,” he said, adding that it will take time to train more pilots to fill the huge gap.
A shipping expert who spoke on condition of anonymity warned that operating the port with fewer marine pilots was catastrophic, bearing in mind the job needed round-the-clock “alertness and attention.”
“A pilot is a mariner who manoeuvres ships through dangerous or congested waters like our treacherous channel into the port.
“[The work] requires an alert and well-trained mind [so as] not to cause marine accidents,” the expert said.
KPA chairman Marsden Madoka said they had launched a training programme to increase the number of personnel to the required level.
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