The construction of new docks across the country is expected to ease the current congestion problem within the Tanzania port infrastructure, specifically regarding the congestion of containers at the Dar es Salaam Port.
In order to better understand the infrastructure flaws and possible solutions, last year the government hired experts from the Netherlands to review the infrastructure system in place and to advise the government on how best to promote and organize investment into the ports so as to overcome the current challenges.
According to the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) Communications Manager, Franklyn Mziray, these experts held thorough investigations throughout in order to get ways of overcoming the challenges facing the authority, especially in its infrastructure system.
Since then, these challenges have been identified and, according to Mr. Mziray, the TPA is now prepared overcome them.
At a recent one-day workshop that was held to discuss the experts findings and to relay the suggested improvements to the organization and operation of the TPA infrastructure within the country.
“Construction and rehabilitation of our ports need a lot of money, hence after going through the report, we would decide how best this new investment will be done,” said Mr. Mziray after the workshop.
According to Mr. Mziray, in order to begin to successfully address the issue of congestion at the Dar es Salaam Port, it will be necessary to construct two new docks and to expand the existing small ones as well.
Mr. Mziray went on to say that the experts from the Netherlands also identified other challenges that would need to be addressed in order to make the Dar es Salaam port more capable of competing in business in the region.
Currently, Dar es Salaam has eight deep landings for general cargo and three for container vessels.
In addition this port also supports a grain terminal, an oil jetty eight anchorages, and an onshore mooring for supertankers.
Dar es Salaam port has eight deep water berths for general cargo, three for container vessels, eight anchorages, a grain terminal, an oil jetty and onshore mooring for supertankers.
In addition to the improvements to Dar es Salaam Port, the TPA will also make improvements to the ports that it is responsible for in Tanga and Mtwara as well as the ports in the three minor towns of Kilwa, Lindi, and Mafia and the inland ports on Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika as well as Nyasa.
