Tanzania opens eight ICDs

Eight private companies in Tanzania have been licensed to operate inland container depots (ICDs) as a means of providing capacity relief for the container terminal at the port of Dar es Salaam.

The ICDs will be bonded facilities, while the operators will be allowed to move boxes to and from the port themselves. The existing port container terminal is working at 23.1% above engineered capacity of 250,000 teu, however, 40% of the congestion is blamed on importers incorrectly completing documentation.

In 2007, Berth 8 was also allocated to container handling, but has been unable to provide much relief given annual traffic growth rates of 15%. The port as a whole can now theoretically handle 650,000 containers, but will be handling 525,000 units by 2010, prompting David Coty, chief executive of the container terminal, to call for the construction of a second dedicated container terminal.

All news