The initial
slipway using a telescopic carriage with the first ship slipped in 1931
Various
department heads in the year 2002
AMGECO from
the south
Dry dock gate
under construction
British Navy helicopter preparing to land at AMGECO with a pump for service
French Navy vessel FNS Albatros in the dry dock at AMGECO
African Marine and General
Engineering Company Limited
(AMGECO) was incorporated in Kenya on 12th January, 1928 for the purpose of
acquiring the business of shipbuilder, ship repairers, marine and general
engineers carried on by African Wharfage Company Limited. The original
shareholders of AMGECO were Smith Mackenzie and Co., The British India Steam
Navigation Co. Ltd., and the Union Castle Mail Steamship Co. Ltd. AMEGCO is
strategically located at the entrance to the Port of Mombasa.
The construction of a slipway using a telescopic carriage commenced in 1928
and the first ship slipped in 1931. The slipway was capable of taking
vessels up to 2,200 tons displacement. The company further added a dry dock
commissioned in 1977 and a small fully developed construction dock. The
first three vessels were built in 1957 at the yard.
The original shareholders remained until mid 1972 when Mackenzie (Kenya)
Ltd., the successor to Smith Mackenzie & Co., acquired the total
shareholding of AMGECO. In 1974 the whole share capital of AMGECO was
acquired by Inchcape Mackenzie (Management) Ltd.
In April 1974 the Government of Kenya acquired a 25% shareholding in AMGECO
through the Industrial Development Bank Ltd., and in August 1976 increased
this shareholding to 33 1/3%.
Further participation took place and in late 1986 the company became wholly
Kenyan owned with equity ownership. In mid 1998, the company was taken over
by the present owners who are Claremont Holdings Ltd., and Multilink
Holdings Ltd.
Times have changed since these early days and the port of Mombasa, which is
the gateway to Kenya's economic growth, has been expanding gradually and
rapidly. It is an ideal point for vessels traveling between Europe, the
Cape, India and the Far East for docking. It was with these facts in mind
that AMGECO decided to build a Dry Dock with a corresponding range of
services. This has now been operative since 1977 and has already proved
itself an unqualified success. Its competitive rates, along with its skilled
engineering force, have come into international recognition. Additionally,
AMGECO have further enhanced Mombasa as a port, and emphasised its
importance as a vital ship repair center. This in turn ensures for Kenya
substantial earnings in foreign exchange for her economy.
Together with ship repair, AMGECO also offers a breadth of experience and
boasts of the successful construction of small craft such as tugs, barges, lighters,
coasters, ferries, fishing vessels and passenger launches. One of the most
sophisticated vessels built in 1969 was the Kenya Fisheries research vessel
'Shakwe' which was described at the time as the "most technically advanced
fishing vessel based on the East African Coast". With the onset of
modernisation, AMGECO have setup a fiberglass shop, which undertakes
building of new boats.
The company undertook implementation of the TQM (Total Quality Management)
standard in 1993 in response to increasing Quality Assurance Requirements in
the shipping industry and also to ensure that African Marine meets the high
quality standards and workmanship expected by our customers.
As a result, African Marine & General Engineering Co. Ltd., was awarded the
ISO 9002:1994 Standard in 1997 which it currently holds. The company successfully
renewed the certification in 2000 and is currently in the
process of changing over from ISO 9002:1994 Standard to the new ISO
9001:2000 Standard. The quality department strives to ensure that all
requirements are strictly adhered to and AMGECO has successfully passed all
statutory audits so far.
With the onset of technological advancement, AMGECO has consistently been
keeping up with innovation. Major machineries are constantly replaced for
better efficiency and output. Manpower is also trained regularly, both
locally and abroad to ensure that the company is abreast all changes. Our
new Fiberglass Shop is a very recent example.
The company is committed to Information Technology and has computerised most
of its administrative operations and operates a central database at its
central stores. It is committed to keep up with changing technological
patterns to improve efficiency and cut costs so that the customer is the
eventual beneficiary.
With over 74 years experience and being the oldest shipyard in the region,
African Marine and General Engineering Co. Ltd., offers unrivalled
expertise, both in the marine and non-marine sectors, which has enabled it
to earn the confidence of a wide variety of International Ship owners and
multinational industries in the non-marine sector.
AMGECO has earned international repute amongst various navies as well. The
yard has the facility for a helicopter landing in order to carry out
emergency repairs to mobile machinery and equipment which can be airlifted
to the yard. The company used to carry out work for the British Royal Navy when a
pump was flown in for emergency repairs and HMS Meon slipped at the yard.
The French Navy has used the services of the yard when FNS Albatros was in
the dry dock in 1988 and 1989. The company is also authorised to carry out
repairs for the Kenya Navy vessels and has had the opportunity to be of
service to the Tanzania Navy. AMGECO had also qualified to be registered under the US Navy in Bahrain
program "Master Agreement for Repair and Alteration of Vessels (MARAV)
certification." Some of our welders are therefore registered with the US
Navy Ship Repair Unit (SRU) in Bahrain.
The main
administration building of AMGECO constructed in the shape of a ferry
Construction
dock and dry dock in the present day
Dry dock
construction in the early 1970s
Dry dock
construction in the early 1970s
Anchors being
driven into the dry dock wall to secure the dry dock during construction
British Navy
helicopter landed at AMGECO with a pump for service
