The semi-autonomous Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar is planning to construct a new port to ease congestion at Malindi Port on the island
The minister for infrastructure and communication, Hamad Masoud Hamad, made the announcement in Unguja while discussing congestion problems at the Malindi Port.
“The port is incapable of handling a large number of ships and congestion has been increasing every day due to regular offloading of cargo,” Hamad said.
He added that the new port will be constructed at Mpiga Duri in Unguja and said, “We expect this port to boost the capacity of Zanzibar to handle larger ships and cargos in future.”
Reports show that the Malindi port handles between 140,000 and 160,000 tonnes of consignment annually which includes 25,000 tonnes of liquid cargo, mainly petroleum and edible products.
“We want the new port to have double the capacity for handling bigger oil and container ships,” said the minister.
For the time being, the government is looking for funds and investors to go ahead with the project.
“A feasibility study was conducted two months ago for us to get a general picture on how much space is needed for containers,” Hamad added.
Malindi port was built in 1925 as a modest light port, but currently lacks infrastructure and storage facilities.
