Travel 

Monday, May 12, 2014 

Dar es Salaam bulk liquid cargo grows

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - The volume of bulk liquid cargo imports at Dar es Salaam Port, has sharply increased by 19% annually.

The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), who handles operations of all ports in the country said the importation of bulk liquid cargo has increased to 4.36 tons in 2012/13 from 2.40 million tons in 2008/09.

The Chairman of the Dock Workers Union of Tanzania (DOWUTA), Edmund Njowoka said: “This is equivalent to an increase of 19% per year.” 

He said in the last five years, 2008/09 to 2012/13, the overall cargo handled by Tanzania’s ports has been increasing at an average rate of 13.4% per annum.

Njowoka told East African Business Week the tremendous performance has been boosted by the motivated workers.

Cargo handled increased to 13.1 million tons as of March 2014, surpassing the target of 13 million tons forecasted by June, this year.

Cargo clearance time had been shortened to around 4.8 days from 7 days in June, last year.

TPA paid millions of arrears to workers which they demanded for the past three years. The association has already agreed with TPA management on the mode of payment.

Njowoka said TPA has started paying arrears in July, last year  and all workers will receive their full payments before end of this year.

He also commended the government’s recent decision to make the largest port in the country operate twenty four hours in seven days.

He said apart from serving the local business community, the port serves several neighbouring countries and the decision to add working hours would improve performance and the port’s competitiveness in the region.

The TPA’s main Indian Ocean ports are Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, and Tanga. The minor seaports serving coastal traffic include Lindi, Kilwa Masoko, Mafia Island, Bagamoyo, Pangani and Kwale. 

The principal port of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, which handles 95% of the country’s international sea trade. Most of the ports cargo handling and clearance depends on labor extensively. 

The port is divided into two parts (TICTS and TPA). In order to increase efficiency TPA has authorized TICTS privately owned by Hong Kong investors to receive and clear cargo at the port.

By Leonard Magomba, Monday, May 12th, 2014