Govt urged to address cargo storage challenge

Ms Angelina Ngalula

What you need to know:

  • The call stems from the fact the storage capacity at the port has been overwhelmed considering that cargo from the Democratic Republic of Congo is projected to grow by 45 per cent in the next three months.

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Truck Owners Association (Tatoa) has pleaded with the government to consider storage expansion at the Port of Dar es Salaam. 

The call stems from the fact the storage capacity at the port has been overwhelmed considering that cargo from the Democratic Republic of Congo is projected to grow by 45 per cent in the next three months.

The cargo growth from the western neighbouring country is down to removal of Single Custom Territory (SCT) last month.

Following the removal of the SCT, Tatoa expected the authorities to expand the storage space for goods passing through the port.

They disclosed that currently the largest container handling company, Tanzania International Container Terminal Services Ltd (Ticts), cannot handle the increased cargo.

Tatoa chairman Ms Angelina Ngalula made the statement at the State House on Monday, March 19 during a meeting of the National Business Council (NBC).

She said last year, TICTS alone managed to handle over 500, 000 containers, the amount that was twice the 250,000 projection.

“The amount handled was huge as compared to the amount handled at the history of the Port of Dar es Salaam,” she said,

She added: “Also, the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) broke its record by handling over 170,000 containers, which is the largest amount in its history.”

According to her, a large number of the business people will opt for the Dar es Salaam port after lifting the SCT, challenging the government to be prepared.

In another development, Ms Ngalula pointed out that the East African Management Act was still a challenge for transporters, especially, in licensing of vehicles.