Dar es Salaam/Mwanza. Prime Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba has officially launched the MV New Mwanza, the largest freshwater passenger ship in Africa, marking a milestone in the country’s maritime transport sector.
The state-of-the-art vessel, operating on Lake Victoria, has four decks, measures 92.6 metres in length, 17 metres in width, and weighs 3,500 tonnes. It can carry 1,200 passengers, 20 vehicles, and 400 tonnes of cargo, and travels at a speed of 16 knots (about 30 km/h), reducing the travel time from Mwanza to Bukoba to six to seven hours, compared to eight to ten hours by other vessels.
