THE PORT OF MTWARA OPENS THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOUTH

90

AfricaPress-Tanzania: FROM now on traders in the country and neighboring countries will be benefiting from the huge investment made in the Port of Mtwara.

The port has been upgraded through the construction of pier number two at a cost of 157.8 billion making it now capable of handling up to one and a half million tons of cargo per year.

Prior to the current move by the fifth phase government through the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA)

the port when it has one pier was capable of serving only 400,000 tons per year.

TPA Director General, Engineer Deusdedit Kakoko once told this newspaper that his mandate is to build four piers in the port by 2025 due to the increase in economic activity in the southern regions.

The port, which is the main gateway to trade and economy for the southern regions, is set to serve not only domestic customers, but also customers of neighboring southern southern countries such as Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique.

Mtwara Port Manager, Juma Kijavara, says the completion of the port expansion project will facilitate and strengthen the economy, especially the southern regions of Tanzania by increasing GDP, providing employment and various investment opportunities.

The benefits of the regions and the port are also due to the improvement of roads in the southern part of Tanzania.

Due to the improved roads and the presence of Lake Nyasa, it is now also easier for Zambian and Malawian traders to use the port of Mtwara which is close to the port of Dar es Salaam.

The cargo can now travel by road from Mtwara to Songea and if the cargo is in Malawi or the Mozambique area bordering Lake Nyasa you can travel by ship.

TPA built two cargo ships on Lake Nyasa for Tanzanian and SADC traders to use.

But also the cargo can travel by road from Mtwara via Songea and Njombe to Tunduma.

SHEHENA INCREASED MTWARA

The port manager, Kijavara says the port since its construction in 1953 during the colonial period, broke records by transporting 377,590 tonnes of cargo in the 2016/2017 Fiscal Year.

He says in the 2018/19 financial year the port shipped 363,286 tonnes of cargo and in 2014/15 it shipped 296,577 tonnes.

“Unlike other piers in the country and neighboring countries, the Mtwara Port pier has a natural depth of 13 meters when the water is pumped. This situation makes this port the best in the southern region compared to the depth of 9.5 meters of ports of neighboring countries, ”says Kijavara.

CASHWORTH, CARPETS TRANSPORTED TO WATER

According to Kijavara, the largest cargo ship currently serviced by the port is the cashew crop which is the main cash crop for the southern regions of Mtwara, Lindi and Ruvuma.

He mentions other major shipments passing through the port are cement produced by the Dangote factory as well as oil.

PACKING, DOWNLOADING

Kijavara says the now upgraded 300-meter-long pier could accommodate 65,000 tons of ships compared to the previous pier that could accommodate 45,000 tons.

He also says the cargo area has also been expanded and now covers 79,000 square meters.

COMPLETED

Kijavara says the contractor has basically handed over the port to the Tanzania Ports Authority due to its completion.

“The port has been completed and the remaining work is operational as 157.8 billion shillings set by the Government, the results should be visible and not only to increase revenue but also efficiency,” says Kijavara.

END OF OIL ‘THEFT’

The manager says the situation of estimating oil entering through the port of Mtwara has reached the brink after the construction of an oil meter.

While HabariLEO was at the port recently, the construction of the oil testing plant had reached 98 percent.

Kijavara says the measure is for diesel and petrol that will be passed through the port, a move that will increase government revenue as there is no way to steal or estimate substandard fuel.

The manager says that in the past, the inspection of oil that passed through the port and various levies were more eye-catching but now the presence of an oil pipeline will change the situation and hopefully increase government revenue.

“Now we will measure oil through a flow meter so that the Government levies are collected all and the trader pays the appropriate levies. Our goal is to see that we receive more oil ships so that the business can start to benefit us, especially for traders in Malawi and beyond, ”says the manager.

Completion of the flow meter will increase the number of ports with the device from two to three. Other ports with flow meters are in Dar es Salaam and Tanga.

TASAC CONGRATULATIONS

Mussa Mandia, a member of the Board of Directors of the Tanzania Shipping Agency (TASAC), said the move by TPA was positive and that the ‘flow meter’ would reduce the misunderstanding and instead become a capital to boost the country’s economy.

“Installation of these devices will increase efficiency by reducing shipping time. It will also increase the security of cargo unloaded at the port, including reducing or ending oil theft, ”says Mandia.

Another member of the board, Renatus Mkinga, says: “In the past, traders strongly opposed the installation of the ‘flow meter’ because they were ‘hitting’ the government but President John Magufuli oversaw it and ensured that the theft was stopped and the government got its legitimate income.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here