Entebbe, Uganda: Following a construction period of twenty-one months, yesterday saw the launch of the M.V. Mpungu – the pioneering East Africa Marine Transport (EAMT) vessel – on Lake Victoria. The vessel was launched from the purpose-built Entebbe shipbuilding facility of SECO Marine (U) Ltd, an Alpha Group Company. The vessel will now undergo a period of Lake trials before commencing service in Q2 2024. The M.V. Mpungu will be 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.

Commissioned by InfraCo Africa, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), and experienced regional logistics company, Grindrod Limited (Grindrod), the 96-metre-long vessel has the capacity to handle up to 1,000 tons of containerised cargo, the equivalent of twenty-one trailers. EAMT also benefitted from a European Union-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund (EU-AITF) grant for market and technical studies as well as for legal and regulatory support. Read more.