Kenya's Mombasa Port Receives 2,152 Tons of Turkana Oilfield Drilling Equipment

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 28, Kenya's Mombasa Port received a shipment of specialized onshore drilling equipment for the development of the South Lokichar oilfield in Turkana County, with a total cargo weight of 2,152 tons. The equipment was transported by the MV Transit Sedanka from Abu Dhabi via Duqm, Oman, to Mombasa. The shipment includes a GW70 integrated onshore drilling rig with a rated power of 1,500 horsepower. The equipment is valued at over 2 billion Kenyan shillings, equivalent to approximately 15 million US dollars. After unloading and customs clearance, the equipment will be transported overland to the Turkana oilfield operation area.

The arrival of this equipment corresponds to a new logistics milestone in the South Lokichar oilfield's progression from prior approval to on-site development preparation. According to the latest project documents from Kenya's national petroleum authorities, Parliament has approved the South Lokichar oilfield development plan as well as the production sharing contracts for Blocks T6 and T7. The project plans to adopt shared infrastructure for phased development of six oilfields within the South Lokichar Basin. The licensed operator for Blocks T6 and T7 is currently Gulf Energy E&P BV.

According to the development plan published by Kenya's petroleum authorities, Phase 1 will build a production capacity of 20,000 barrels per day relying on Early Oil Production Facilities, with first oil planned for December 2026. Crude oil produced in Phase 1 will be transported by road to the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL) facilities for storage before export. Phase 2 plans to increase production to 50,000 barrels per day starting from 2032 and to construct a Central Processing Facility (CPF), with crude oil transportation planned to shift to rail.

The South Lokichar development also includes independent water supply infrastructure. The Kenyan government plans to construct the Turkwel–Lokichar water pipeline, approximately 104 kilometers in length, with a designed water transmission capacity of 79,150 cubic meters per day, of which 16,534 cubic meters per day will be used for oilfield development and the remainder will supply domestic water for residents along the route. The related water supply, roads, and upstream site facilities have been included in the oilfield development supporting works.

The GW70 onshore drilling rig arriving at the port is heavy-duty core equipment required for oilfield site construction and drilling operations. Original reports indicate that the South Lokichar project has recoverable oil resources of approximately 326 million barrels, with an overall investment plan of approximately 6.1 billion US dollars and a development period of approximately 25 years. The Kenyan government's public documents have currently specified the Phase 1 target of 20,000 barrels per day and first oil in December 2026. Therefore, after this batch of 2,152 tons of drilling equipment enters Kenya, subsequent milestones will shift to on-site transportation in Turkana, rig installation, and well operations.