Construction
of the new berth and the cargo yard at Mtwara port is on track and the new
cargo terminal is expected to be completed next March, port management has
stated.
Briefing
reporters who toured the port recently, Mtwara Port Manager, Engineer Juma
Kijavara, said the construction project is currently at 55% of implementation.
He said
the new berth is 300 m long and 13.5 m in depth (draft) will have the capacity
to accommodate mega cargo ships weighing 65,000 tonnes. Currently, the port
accommo- dates cargo ships of 40,000 tonnes.
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 and China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group at a cost of 137bn/-.
Engineer
Kijavara said the modern multipurpose cargo terminal will be capable of
delivering quality services to the southern regions (Lindi, Mtwara and Ruvuma)
but focussing on serving the neighbouring countries – 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 m long while its yard is 40,000 m2.
Therefore the construction of the second berth 300-m-long berth will give us a
berth of 680 m long,” he said.
The
second yard, currently under construction, measures 79,000 m2. Upon
completion next March, Mtwara Port will increase its cargo handling capacity
from 400,000 tpa to 1,000,000 tonnes.
The
ongoing expansion of Mtwara Port is one of the measures by 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.
Cement produced at Dangote Cement Plant has been reaching markets in Comoro, Zanzibar and some parts in SADC region through Mtwara Port.https://allafrica.com/stories/201911030030.html
