Mtwara —
CONSTRUCTION of the new berth and the cargo yard at Mtwara port is on
the right course and the new cargo terminal is expected to be completed
next March, the port management in ...
the southern region has confidently
stated.
Briefing reporters
who toured the port recently to witness the implementation of various
development projects being carried out by Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA)
along the Indian Ocean shoreline, Mtwara Port Manager, Engineer Juma
Kijavara, said the constructionproject is currently at 55 per cent of
implementation.
He said the new
berth with a length of 300 metres and 13.5-metre depth (draft) will have
the capacity to accommodate mega cargo ships weighing 65,000tonnes.
Currently, the port accom modates cargo ships with 40,000 tonnes ( Dead
Weight -DWT).
All the necessary
state -of -the art cargo handling equipment, including modern mobile
cranes and other heavy lifting machines, will be availed at the port
upon completion.
The construction of
the new multipurpose terminal is being implemented through a joint
venture of two Chinese firms- M/S China Railway Construction Engineering
Group( CRCEG) and China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group (
CRMBEG) - at the tune of 137bn/-.
According to
Engineer Kijavara, the modern multipurpose cargo terminal will be
capable of delivering quality services to the southern regions(Lindi,
Mtwara and Ruvuma) but with specific focus on serving the neighbouring
countries in the southern African region - Mozambique, Malawi and
Zambia.
However, he said,
the government's future plan on Mtwara Port is to have four berths. "The
old berth measures 380 metres in length while its yard has the size of
40,000 square metres. Therefore the construction of the second berth
with a length of 300 metres will give us a berth of 680 metres in
length," he said.
The second yard,
currently under construction, measures 79,000 square metres. Upon
completion of the project next March, Mtwara Port will increase its
cargo handling capacity from 400,000 tonnes per annum to 1000,000
tonnes.
Mtwara Port, which is described as a natural harbour, is a strategic port for the country given its geographical position.
An ongoing
expansion work is one of the measures by the government to implement a
number of projects under Mtwara Development Corridor.
Mtwara Port
Engineer Norbert Kalembwe said the construction of the second berth
started in May 2017 under the 'Design and Build' approach.
According to the
port engineer, preparations of all necessary construction materials are
nearing completion. Currently, Mtwara Port plays a significant role in
ferrying cashew nuts abroad, including Vietnam.
Cashew nut, a cash
earning crop for the southerners, is one of the dependable forex earners
for the country. Cement produced at Dangote Cement Plant has been
reaching markets in Comoro, Zanzibar and some parts in SADC region
through Mtwara Port.
A fertiliser plant
to be established in Lindi will also depend on the port for the product
to reach markets in some parts in the southern region and beyond.
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