The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) will upgrade three ports as part of its Ports Master Plan (PMP) that covers the period from 2008 to 2028
The TPA has already invited eligible firms to carry out feasibility studies for upgrade of the three ports at Mbamba Bay, Kigoma and Kilwa.
“Interested firms must submit relevant information indicating it is qualified to perform the required service,” read a TPA notice aimed at inviting interested firms.
The Mbamba Bay port, located on the shores of Lake Nyasa, has the potential to link the proposed Southern Corridor to neighbouring Malawi.
“Efforts to develop ports on the shores of Lake Nyasa have to be concurrent with the development of the Southern Corridor for easy delivery of goods to and from neighbouring land-locked states as well as coal from Liganga and Mchuchuma mines on the shores of Lake Nyasa,” said the TPA statement.
The ports’ authority said, “The Kigoma Port is another important port because of its well-connected cargo terminals and dockyard south of the facility.
“It has a rail link from Kigoma railway station at the southern far end of the port and port access road. The port is mainly used for shipment of cargo to Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.”
According to the TPA, the Kigoma port required upgrade because of outdated operations and equipment which has rendered the port inefficient.
“The objective of the project is to have a state-of-the-art cargo or passenger terminal which could be used both for containerised as well as break bulk cargo, oil reception facility and dock yard,” the authority added.
The Kilwa port currently has a modest jetty with a 7 metres depth of water and one warehouse without handling equipment. The authority has set aside funds in this financial year for carrying out a feasibility study and detailed engineering design for the construction of deep water berths at the port.
“The objective of the assignment is to assess the financial, socio-economic and technical feasibility for constructing deep water berths at Kilwa Port and carry out detail engineering designs,” the TPA statement added.
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