Dodoma — TRANSIT oil cargo through the Dar es Salaam port grew by 48.5 per cent in the first months of this year as compared to corresponding period last year.

According to the country’s Petroleum Bulk Procurement Agency (PBPA) data, transit fuel shipped through the port increased by 49 per cent, thanks to efficiency and reforms at the Dar es Salaam port.

“The agency is happy to announce that it has recorded a steady growth in transit fuel since the Bulk Procurement System was established in 2015,” PBPA Acting Director General Erasto Simon told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy and Minerals here over the weekend.

During the 2016/17 Financial Year, the government scrapped off Value Added Tax (VAT) on transit cargo, subsequently fuelling the volume of containers handled at the port by 35 per cent. The Dar es Salaam port is increasingly becoming the traders choice.

Minister for Energy, Dr Medard Kalemani says the volume of transit cargo shipped via the Dar es Salaam port to the landlocked countries in the eastern Africa is projected to increase threefold.

President John Magufuli launched a 421 million US dollar project mid last year, targeting to double the capacity of the port with support from the World Bank and UK’s Department for International Development.

Assessment by the World Bank indicated that the port’s cargo handling grew by nine per cent annually.

The new expansion being implemented by China Harbour Engineering Construction Company (CHEC) will help increase the capacity of the port to handle at least 25 million tonnes up from 13.8 million tonnes a year

The new port adds up to already existing two oil terminal ports, one being Dar es Salaam and the recently launched Tanga port with capacity to discharge 35,000 tonnes.

Source: TMEA Website