After terminating its contract with Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS), the Tanzanian government is looking for larger investors to implement its ambitious development plan for the port of Dar es Salaam.

La Tanzanie a entamé des pourparlers avec le groupe portuaire émirati DP World pour l’exploitation de 7 postes d’amarrage au port de Dar es Salaam révèle Bloomberg, citant le ministre des Travaux publics et des Transports, Makame Mbarawa.

If successful, DP World will also invest in the construction of storage facilities for fresh cargo and the introduction of modern technology to manage port operations. According to the Minister, these investments are expected to help reduce docking time for ships from 5 days to 24 hours, and cargo clearance time from 60 hours to 12 minutes.

The deal is also expected to boost traffic to 47.57 million tonnes by 2032-33, up from 20.6 million in 2021, and treble facility revenues from 7.76 trillion shillings in to 26.7 trillion shillings over the next decade.

DP World had already signed an agreement in February 2022 to invest USD 500 million in the development of a 2nd container terminal and other infrastructure at the port of Dar es Salaam.

These initiatives by the Tanzanian executive are motivated by its desire to make the port of Dar es Salaam the main East African port hub, a status currently held by the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Tanzania aims to become an important trade link for landlocked countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC.

According to the Ministry, studies are also underway to assess proposals from several other groups, such as Hutchison Port Holdings Trust, AP Moller-Maersk, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, PSA International Ltd.

Agence Ecofin