Tanzania says main port overwhelmed, seeks new ones
Thématique :
tanzanie
Tanzania's main port has been overwhelmed by 50% more cargo than it was designed for and it will start working round the clock to clear the backlog, the government said on Monday.
Infrastructure Development Minister Shukuru Kawambwa said that in the longer term, the government planned to build new ports and expand existing ones to deal with increased traffic.
Economic growth in Tanzania in recent years has boosted cargo volumes at the Dar es Salaam port, which also serves markets in Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi and eastern parts of Democratic Republic of Congo.
The port in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam was built to process 250 000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually.
"There has been a steep increase ... Right now it is handling 375 000 TEUs a year, which is 150% of the design capacity," Kawambwa told a meeting of government officials and business executives.
Kawambwa said the government would introduce 24-hour shift rotations for workers and increase the capacity and number of ports.
"We have earmarked a new port in Bagamoyo ... in Tanga and also port expansion at Tanga port and also expansion of the port in Mtwara," he said.
He did not give a time frame for the projects.
Businesses in Tanzania have long complained about delays getting their goods out of the Dar es Salaam port, as well as the cost of transporting them once they leave.
Gareth Taylor, general manager of Barrick Tanzania, a subsidiary of gold producer Canada's Barrick Gold Corp, said at the same meeting that it cost his company $4 000 to move a container from their mines to the port.
He said improvements to Tanzania's railways could reduce the cost to $2 500 a container.
"We move thousands of containers," Taylor said.
In August, Tanzania's northern neighbour Kenya ordered its main port in Mombasa to operate 24 hours a day after criticism of the slow pace at which goods were moving.
Infrastructure Development Minister Shukuru Kawambwa said that in the longer term, the government planned to build new ports and expand existing ones to deal with increased traffic.
Economic growth in Tanzania in recent years has boosted cargo volumes at the Dar es Salaam port, which also serves markets in Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi and eastern parts of Democratic Republic of Congo.
The port in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam was built to process 250 000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually.
"There has been a steep increase ... Right now it is handling 375 000 TEUs a year, which is 150% of the design capacity," Kawambwa told a meeting of government officials and business executives.
Kawambwa said the government would introduce 24-hour shift rotations for workers and increase the capacity and number of ports.
"We have earmarked a new port in Bagamoyo ... in Tanga and also port expansion at Tanga port and also expansion of the port in Mtwara," he said.
He did not give a time frame for the projects.
Businesses in Tanzania have long complained about delays getting their goods out of the Dar es Salaam port, as well as the cost of transporting them once they leave.
Gareth Taylor, general manager of Barrick Tanzania, a subsidiary of gold producer Canada's Barrick Gold Corp, said at the same meeting that it cost his company $4 000 to move a container from their mines to the port.
He said improvements to Tanzania's railways could reduce the cost to $2 500 a container.
"We move thousands of containers," Taylor said.
In August, Tanzania's northern neighbour Kenya ordered its main port in Mombasa to operate 24 hours a day after criticism of the slow pace at which goods were moving.
