After successful construction of berth number zero and dredging the depth of Dar es Salaam Port, the Government has embarked on expansion of the port entrance by increasing four more meters. The port entrance which has 11,5 metres is undergoing expansion to have 15,5metres which will enable the port to host large ships up to 400 meters from the current 200 meters.
This was revealed yesterday during Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Amos Makalla's tour at the port, where he was briefed that the dredging is going on alongside construction of the port access entry roads. According to the Director General of the Port of Dar es Salaam Elihuruma Lema, the construction work is expected to be concluded on November 25 this year. "The project worth 10bn/- is now at 51 percent of its accomplishment," he said, noting that the work continues day and night since they are behind by 13 percent.
"Right now it was supposed to be at 64 percent towards accomplishment, but we are behind the time, in this case, we have decided that the work should be done in day and night hours," he added. For his part, the project's engineer Musa Msafiri said the project involves the construction of the 1,3kilometres Mivinjeni and Bandari road. Speaking, Mr. Makalla said construction of the roads connecting the port would help calm traffic which has been a big concern for many businessmen.
He instructed the constructor to ensure timely accomplishment of the project, a move that would facilitate movement of people, goods and services as well as stimulating business in the city and the country at large. On August 11, this year, Tanzania became the first country in Africa's Eastern and Central to host a huge vessel-the Tranquil ACE Panama carrying over 3,700 vehicles. The ship from Japan docked at the Dar es Salaam Port, carrying a total of 3,743 vehicles, sending a key message over significant expansion of the port and improved efficiency.
The Director General of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Mr. Eric Hamissi, said the country had never hosted such a big vessel in the history of the port. "The previous record was the arrival of a ship with capacity to carry 2,600 cars," Mr. Hamissi explained, noting the Tranquil ACE Panama, which is owned by Mitsui Company, cruised from Japan directly to the Dar es Salaam Port.
About 65 percent of the vehicles carried in the ship were in transit and the remaining 35 percent were imported by Tanzania. The volume of cargo handled at the Dar es Salaam port is projected to rise by about 43 percent during the next four years when the ongoing berths expansion is completed.