East African Business Week

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA - The Government will start extending developments of Dar es Salaam Port capacity to handle containers and bulk cargo at Kisarawe on the south western part of the city.
The Government has already called for firms to venture on a feasibility study for developing the dry port at Kisarawe.
Ms Janeth Ruzangi, the PR of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) told East African Business Week in Dar that the dry port will increase the capacity of Dar Port to handle  bulk cargo and vehicles landed at the port.
She said  the handling capacity of Dar Port is diminishing with increasing cargoes for Tanzania and  neighbouring countries.
Last week the European Union mission warned TPA that it stood to lose business if fails to take serious measures to fast track cargo clearance at the port. The warning was made by the EU team that was lead by Ambassador Tim Clarke during its visit to Dar es Salaam port.
"Trends of larger container and bulk ships increase the need for concentration at bigger and more specialised ports, which should benefit importers and exporters through efficiencies gained by economies of scale, increased levels of productivity, shorter turn-around times and lower generalized cost," said Ms Razingi.
She said a pre-feasibility study has found Kisarawe area to be ideal location for the dry port.
The feasibility study will investigate the geo-technical features of the site to determine suitability for yard, road, rail link and land ownership.
TPA officials said the dry port will be undertaken under a public private partnership  arrangement. "To achieve this, interested firms shall provide detailed assessments of all economic, financial technical and environmental aspects for developing the dry port.
Dar es Salaam port is expected  to handle up-to 6.9 million tons of liquid bulk cargo, 7 million, 0.6 million tons of break bulk, 370,000 vehicles and 1.9 m ferry passengers per annum, by 2028.
This compares to an existing capacity of approximately 10 million tons of liquid bulks, 6.1 million tons of dry bulks, 4 million tons of general cargo, and 120,000 vehicle units per annum.
Analysts in Dar as Salaam said attaining high volumes depends largely on unlocking Tanzania's economic potential and the development of a national transport infrastructure.