Mombasa, Kenya – The Port of Mombasa experienced a temporary disruption yesterday due to an explosion aboard the oil tanker vessel MT East Wind. A fire broke out following the incident, causing extensive damage to the vessel’s upper deck and adjacent buildings with glass walls.

According to Kenya News Agency, The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Mombasa County Emergency Services responded promptly to the emergency. Mombasa Central Subcounty Police Commander Maxell Agoro confirmed the incident, stating that investigations have been initiated to determine the cause of the explosion, which occurred near the African Marine Terminal in the Liwatoni area of Mombasa County.

“There was a loud bang which ignited a fire that destroyed sections of the vessel. There are no casualties though. We have launched investigations together with marine agencies to find out what went wrong,” Agoro said.

According to a press statement from the Kenya Ports Authority, MT East Wind, a local coaster, was moored at the privately owned African Marine General Engineering Company (AMGECO) ship repair yard within Mombasa Port at the time of the incident.

The Corporate Communication Division of KPA reported that the port’s firefighting team successfully contained the fire by 12:35 pm, approximately an hour after the ship’s master reported the incident to the KPA control tower. “The instant response by the tugboat and fire brigade on the shore ensured normalcy. The cause of the fire, according to the master, was likely to be an electrical fault,” the KPA statement read.

The ship’s master indicated that the incident resulted in a minor head injury to a crew member who was on deck watch at the time. The injured crew member was promptly taken to the hospital for treatment.

MT East Wind regularly operates between Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Tanga. KPA noted that the vessel’s last voyage was from Tanga, where it had offloaded PMS products, but it was empty at the time of the incident.

KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto praised the crew for their effective response in containing the fire by 12:35 pm. “The fire brigade continued to monitor the situation, and they left around 2:50 pm after confirming the situation was normalized and safe,” he added.