Musa Echweru, the state minister for Works, commissioned it on February 21 from the purpose-built Entebbe shipbuilding facility of SECO Marine (U) Ltd. He commended the project and thanked the people who put the idea together to fruition.
“I can assure you that your investment is safe. Maritime transport is very delicate, there are so many hurdles to be jumped, we shall help you jump those hurdles. We need vessels to occupy our water bodies, there are many who have showed interest, but you have gone beyond that, by proving a presence. This lake will be full of reliable vessels in the years to come. I declare MV Mpungu officially launched, for God and my country!”
The 96-metre-long vessel will now undergo a period of lake trials before commencing service in April 2024. The vessel becomes Lake Victoria’s first scheduled roll-on-roll-off freight vessel, addressing the need for a reliable freight service to facilitate regional and international trade.
It has the capacity to handle up to 1,000 tonnes of containerised cargo, the equivalent of 21 trailers. Sujal Goswami, the director of SECO Marine (U) Ltd was thrilled to have launched MV Mpungu, which has been classed by Bureau Veritas, a global leader in ship classification.
“This is an important milestone for the maritime industry in Uganda, and for logistics within the East African community. After months of close coordination with our partners, we are nearing the final stages of construction. Upscaling and training skilled labour in Uganda has been of particular importance to us and we are delighted to witness the contribution of local talent to this project. Building on sixty years of engineering project delivery, we are proud to have constructed a vessel of this stature, the first of its kind in Uganda and the East African region.”
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