For centuries, global trade has been going through ports, handling millions of cargo -- both exports and imports -- and effecting trans-shipment of cargo at intermediate ports as indicated in loading manifestos at originating terminals.
In order to serve its stakeholders in the maritime industry efficiently, promptly and adequately, many ports in developing countries have had to embark on growth projects whose objectives are to enhance capacity.
In essence, the focus of maritime industry everywhere, is growth, brought about by occasional developmental changes taking place globally.
Tanga port, for instance, one of military ports during the German colonial era in East Africa, was built in 1889, to serve local economy, particularly sisal, brought to the colony -- then Tanganyika, several years earlier.
The population in Tanga then grew rapidly. During the time, the town was also established as terminus for the then Usambara railway line – stretching from Tanga to Moshi. It earned the township status in April 1891.
For a few decades that followed, the Tanga port handled agricultural exports, mainly sisal fibre, loaded from most of Usambara railway line’s thirty two rail heads.
Other exports included robusta coffee from Moshi – on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. Tea, grown on mountain slopes of Amani in Muheza district and in Korogwe district was another major commodity handled at the port.
But later, a decade or so ago, it was found out that congestion was evident at the port -- the reason being increase of volume of cargo, mainly imports.
The other reason was the fact that containerized traffic was going very fast and had been a preferred mode of traffic for most importers, compared to the past, when bulk transport was common place.
“We are embarking on an ambitious programme to expand the container stacking yard to meet the prevailing growing demand for handling containerized traffic,” according to Zachary Misso, former Tanga Port Master.
Under the programme, old warehouses structures presently not in use at the Tanga Port, will be demolished to pave way for extension of the port yard.
“Apart from the strategies to turn the stacking yard into a modern facility, plans are also on the drawing board to acquire a modest area within the port precincts,” said Misso.
Misso said in an exclusive, that the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) intended to request for a modest plot from the Tanga City Council (TCC), outside the port territory but within the port precincts for the port extension. He, however, assured Tanga residents that the exercise will involve minimal inconvenience to the community wherever the authority will be relocated.
The authority has acquired modern cranes whose handling capacity is 30 tonnes against 5 tons -- previously handled by the old cranes.
“The new cranes have substantially facilitated reduction of ship dwell time, hence better operations performance,” revealed a high ranking port official who opted for anominity.
“There are also plans to buy pontoons with carrying capacity of 600 tons against the present 200 tons.”
Tanga Port has vast potentials in the export business. These include the multi-billion Tanga Cement Company (TCC), situated about 12 kms from the city centre and the neighbouring Athi River Cement Company (ARCC, now under construction.
The two giant factories import clinker- a vital in gradient in the manufacture of cement and coal which is used for power generation.
A part from the anticipated expansion of the port, the government of Tanzania and Uganda are presently engaged in serious talks on the outstanding project of building an alternative port at Mwambani Bay – almost 5 kms from city centre.
Construction of the new port is essentially aimed at accommodating bigger ships, considering that it will have deeper berths, unlike the present facility where incoming ships anchore a few kilometres from the port.
Official reports have it that structural drawings for construction of the new port along with the Arusha – Musoma railway line have been in cupboards for over a decade.
According to plans on the drawing board, imports for landlocked Uganda would pass through the new Tanga port.
The containerized traffic, would then pass along the German built Tanga – Arusha railway line, onwards to Musoma where the cargo would be ferried by ship across Lake Victoria to an anticipated new port in Uganda-Ukasa.
From there, container loads would be marshalled on trains to Kampala- the country’s capital city. Consignments destined for other townships would then be dispatched further through Western Uganda extension railway line to Kasese, while others bound eastwards would pass through the Kampala-Tororo branch line.
Minister of Transport Omar Nundu recently told port stakeholders and Tanga residents at the Tanga railway station that there was presently urgent need to expedite the project in a bid to find alternative access to the sea by landlocked Uganda.
The minister had just disembarked from one of three motor trolleys on a convoy carrying UgandaTransport Minister, Abraham Byandala and officials from Uganda and Tanzania , including TPA Director General, Ephraim Mgawe.
Under the project, whose cost is estimated at 3 billion dollars - equivalent to 5trn/-, both Tanga and Musoma ports would be upgraded, according to Nundu who did not mention the sources of the project’s funding.
In the brief speech, Nundu called on Tanga residents to support government efforts to build the alternative port.
“At Musoma, people have offered 400 squire hectares of land for expansion of the present port, while in Uganda , there has been a pledge of 800 squire hectares towards construction of a new port of Ukasa ,” he revealed.
At Korogwe, he said, residents in the area have sacrificed 5.5 sq. hectares towards envisaged construction of a dry port.
However, Nundu hastened to say the government’s priority right now was construction of the Mwambani Bay Port as well as rehabilitation of the present port.
“We have vast land in Tanga, I know we will be discouraged in our efforts to build the Tanga-Musoma railway. But we wont be deterred,” said the minister, pledging that the project will be completed or reach advanced stage of development within the next five years.
On his part, Byandala was optimistic that Tanzanians will benefit from the project.
“This project will raise you from where you are now. It will not entertain politics whatsoever, but will centre purely on development,” he told the audience at the station.
He explained that later, Southern Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be involved in the project undertaking.
Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) have already paid a colossal sum of 1.7 bn/- to Tanga City Council (TCC) as land compensation to be dished out to the people whose plots have been taken over by the authority.
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