Dar port improvements cause for renewed trust

Copper from the Democratic Republic of Congo stacked at the Dar es Salaam Port waiting to be shipped to China and the Middle East. This is part of the 5,100 tonnes to be consigned this weekend. Story on Page 3. PHOTO | THE CITIZEN CORRESPONDENTBy Halili Letea

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Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is facilitating the exportation of bulk

copper from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first time in fifteen years.

The cargo which will be shipped unloaded (not in container) inside the Lady Damla ship, confirms a renewed confidence on the port of Dar es Salaam which links the DRC through the central corridor.

The copper weighing 5,100 tonnes is set to be exported to China and the Middle East this weekend, according to port director Elihuruma Lema, who spoke on behalf of the Director General of TPA.

Mr Lema said now firms and businesses were regaining their trust in the port due to improvements in security and port infrastructure which allow safe and easy handling and exportation of products.

“This is the firt time in 15 years and we are going to facilitate another 20,000 tonnes on November 17 - and another 10,000 tonnes on November 23 this year. We encourage businesses and investors to use the port because we ensure safe passage for their products,” he said.

Dar es Salaam Port Copper Operation leader Frank Milongo said due to the improvement of infrastructure including tools and security in the port, they were now able to handle and export from 12,000 to 15,000 tonnes of copper per month.

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“In the past six months we had a capacity of handling and export less than 6,000 tonnes per month but we thank TPA which has improved infrastructure by adding machines and security and we have doubled the performance,” he said.

For his part, Mr Ali Lilani from Inland Container Depot (ICD) said the bulk copper was stored in their facilities in Dar es Salaam (near Sabasaba) before it was transferred in the port for export.

“… after we received the product we informed Mr Lema and he told us there were no challenges. We then informed the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) who gave us full cooperation.

“After that process we managed to transfer all these tonnes in just three days from our offices to the port and they were ready for exportation,” Mr Lilani explained the process.

Mr Arshad Akbar from Impala Terminals Dar es Salaam, a multi-modal transport hub for trade to and from eastern and central Africa said the process was smooth and he was confident the bulk product would be delivered on time to its final destination.