Reg. No: F56/11739/2018

Thesis / Project Title: Problem Design and Analysis of Onshore Power Supply to Berthed Ships at the Port of Mombasa

International shipping is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions leading to environmental degradation in the seas and ports. The Port of Mombasa, a major gateway for East and Central African countries to the world and serving as a hub of commerce and trade for the region, is frequented by vessels that give rise to environmental degradation. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) supports the supply of ships at berth with onshore power amongst other standards and regulations that have been adopted. The study discussed the provision of onshore power supply (OPS) to container ships at berth to replace the onboard auxiliary diesel generator sets thereby reducing emissions at the port. The study estimated the quantity of major pollutants (NOx, PM, CO2 and SO2) from container vessels that visited the port in 2021. AutoCAD software was used to come up with a design for three container terminals with OPS supply from both the public electricity grid at 5 MVA and a 2 MVA solar PV source to supply the ships’ energy demand.
The emissions from the vessels resulted in CO2 equivalents of 103,000 TCO2e emitted by the container vessels. The financial appraisal for the project indicated the viability of implementing the project with a 6-year payback period, positive  NPV and an IRR of 16.9%. The implementation of this project would therefore reduce the negative effects of GHG emissions and be of benefit to both the Mombasa Port and vessel owners.