Zanzibar Ports Corporation (ZPC) says it is investing about 8 billion Tanzania shillings to enhance service efficiency in passenger and cargo handling at its ports.
Infrastructure, Communication and Transport Minister Dr. Sira Ubwa Mamboya told the House of Representatives that as of March 2020, ZPC had spent over two billion Tanzania shillings procurement of one Reach Stacker, one 16-ton Forklift and 55-ton Mobile Crane.
Moving the ministry’s 2020/2021 budget estimates, Dr. Mamboya said the corporation has already received the equipment and has also paid 4.18 billion Tanzania shillings for the purchase of one barge and pilot boat, which are expected to arrive in the country by the end of this month.
“However, the corporation is finalizing procurement procedures for the purchase of one reach stacker, one tractor, one semitrailer and one winch truck,” the minister told the house.
She said the corporation has strengthened its infrastructure under a 1.28bn/- project to install cathodic protection equipment at Malindi dock and cargo warehouse construction, which has just started at Saateni suburb.
Minister Mamboya said during the July 2019-March 2020 period, ZPC, through its ports in Unguja and Pemba, handled various passenger and cargo vessels, including international and domestic ships as well as dhows.
Dr. Mamboya said 103 international ships with 1,341,700 Gross Register Tonnage (GRT) and 3,119 domestic ships as well as 5,504 dhows and boats were handled during the period.
The corporation handled 351,302 tons of ship cargo, 82,248 tons by dhows, 46,803 containers, equivalent to 61,627 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUS), as well as 2,036,187 passengers.
The minister informed the house that as of March 2020, the corporation had spent over 330 million Tanzania shillings in the installation of its Local-Area Network as part of efforts to intensify its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) unit.
The corporation had 2019/2020 targeted 36.3bn/-revenues and by last March, 27.25bn/- had been realised, the minister said.
ZPC envisions boosting efficiency in its services and handling 128 international ships with 1,720,000 GRT, 3,800 domestic ships and 7,000 dhow boats in the next fiscal year.
On cargo, the corporation targets 400,918 tons by international and domestic ships, 63,649 containers, 138,619 tons of petroleum products and 112,741 dhow cargo.
Meanwhile, Zanzibar Shipping Corporation (ZSC) targets 120 and six domestic and international journeys, respectively, in the coming financial year using its ships-MV Mapinduzi II and MV Maendeleo.
During the year, Minister Mamboya told the house, 192,960 passengers and 10,320 tons of cargo will be ferried.
ZSC will as well maintain its fuel transport business using its two ships-MT Ukombozi and MT Ukombozi II while the corporation envisages providing agency services to 198 ships, including containerised cargo and petroleum products.
