Upgrades in Tanzania facilitate large ships

In July 2017, Tanzanian president John Magufuli officially launched the project to upgrade Dar es Salaam Port, managed by Tanzania Ports Authority, which mainly involves the upgrade of seven existing berths and the building of a new berth, said Xinhua, China’s official press agency.

The upgrade will enable large vessels with a load carrying capacity of up to 70,000t to dock at the port, while currently the port accommodates vessels with a capacity of under 30,000t, said Wallace Rugalema, a site engineer for CHEC.

“The upgrade of the Dar es Salaam Port by the CHEC will definitely boost the port’s handling capacity of cargo from across the world,” said Mr Rugalema, adding that the upgrade project also deepens the anchorage and strengthens the yard at the port.

Feasibility report for the project shows that the port’s cargo handling capacity will be increased to about 17.65m tonnes per year upon completion of the upgrade, a 26% increase over the current capacity.

Last year, Tanzanian Foreign Minister Palamagamba Kabudi said the expansion of the Dar es Salaam Port is a vivid example of Tanzania’s participation in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.