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African Marine and General Engineering Co. Ltd
Mombasa, Kenya
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.
