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Tanga Port is hoping to attract more local and foreign customers due to efficiency brought about after reducing cargo dwell time from 10 days to four, thanks to new handling equipment.
Speaking here yesterday during the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA)’s commemoration of 13th anniversary of provision of efficient services, Tanga port Manager Percival Salama was upbeat that the fortunes of the facility were set to surge.
With waiting time tremendously cut with the help of new cargo-handling equipment, Salama expressed hope that Tanzanian business people and those from landlocked neighboring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and DRC, would soon embrace Tanga as their port choice.
The port has been recording efficiency in the recent years whereby from 2000 to 2010 it cleared 500,000 tonnes annually which has since surged to current 750,000.
“Our aim is to hit two million tonnes annual and we are certain to archive that in the near future. Actually, Tanga Port has the capacity to serve the entire East African Community bloc,” he said.
The manager used the opportunity to call upon investors to inject their capitals in various opportunities available in Tanga so that the coastal city regains the glory it once enjoyed in the 1960’s and 70’s when Tanga was the port city to live and work in.
However, although TPA has only two official ports of Tanga and Pangani, the manager decried the continued use of unofficial, illegal Indian Ocean entry and exit points of Jasini, Kipumbwi and Kigombe.
These, he said, led to huge losses of government revenue and crime, urging authorities to reign in unscrupulous business people and criminals who use these points to evade taxes and ship in foreigners.
The chief guest at the event, Tanga District Commissioner Thocias Mwilapwa commended the efforts made by the port to improve efforts made by the pot to improve efficiency and promised to ensure that criminals and tax evaders do not use the unofficial ports at will.
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