leta price za RVR hapa! RVR does doesn't anymore and narrow gauge btn Mombasa and Uganda is dead!
MV Umoja resumes Port Bell-Dar route
Back on. Containers that were offloaded from the MV Umoja ferry at Port Bell, Luzira in Kampala yesterday during the official reopening of the southern route. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
In Summary
- RVR termination. Last year, the Uganda government terminated Rift Valley Railways (RVR) concession to run the country’s railway transport network.
- RVR blamed. Ms Ronah Kyokunda from Tanzania Ports Authority said they have come a long way in reopening the route. She blamed RVR for rendering it unprofitable.
ADVERTISEMENT
By SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA
Kampala. After about 10 years in limbo, the MV Umoja ferry of Tanzania has resumed operations that will ease transportation of exports and imports between Uganda and Tanzania at a much reduced cost and time.
The Tanzanian ferry, which will operate on the Central Polygon route also known as the Southern route, had the first cargo officially commissioned in Kampala yesterday by Uganda’s State minister for Transport Aggrey Bagiire.
The MV Umoja operation route will run from Port Bell in Uganda to Mwanza Port, Tabora and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania using a combination of road, rail and water transport. It has a roll-on and roll-off design that allows cargo wagons to be driven in and out of the ferry by train with ease at the port of shipment or destination.
The ferry is operated jointly by Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities.
According to a joint statement by Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities, the new ferry will be of great relief to importers and exporters. The statement says transportation of a 20-feet container of imports between Kampala and Dar es Salaam will now cost $1,330, dropping from $3,500 previously, which translates into a saving of $ 2,170. A 40-feet container will cost $2,570. The current transportation cost of the same container by road was not stated.
Reduced costs
A 20-feet container of exports between Kampala and Dar es Salaam will cost $486 while a 40-feet container will cost $912. We were unable to establish the current cost by road for the same container size.
However, the statement said the discount rates are valid during the promotional period between June 1 and September 30 this year. Thereafter the rates will be revised to competitive tariffs.
Currently, the transit period for cargo between Kampala and Dar es Salaam by road is two weeks.
The statement says this transit period will also reduce considerably to three or four days.
The Rift Valley Railways, who lost the contract to run the Uganda Railways Corporation, was accused of neglecting the southern route of Kampala, Port Bell, Mwanza, Tabora and Dar es Salaam.
When the Rift Valley Railways Concession was terminated in January, the Uganda Railways Corporation took over the rail operations from RVR. It negotiated with Tanzania Ports Authority and Tanzania Railways Corporation to revive the southern route at reduced transportation fees for importers and exporters.
While launching the first operation at Port Bell in Luzira , Minister Bagiire said the re-opening of the route is additional improvement for transportation of goods to the countries in the central corridor.
“The new management will provide additional returns and these include low transport rates, about five days transit time, security of cargo, alternative access to the sea and consequently lowering the cost of doing business within the entire region,” he said.
He added that since the corridor forms part of the backbone of the regional transportation system in East and Eastern Central Africa carrying imports and exports of the five countries; Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and part of eastern DR Congo.
Background
RVR termination. Last year, the Uganda government terminated Rift Valley Railways (RVR) concession to run the country’s railway transport network.
RVR blamed. Ms Ronah Kyokunda from Tanzania Ports Authority said they have come a long way in reopening the route. She blamed RVR for rendering it unprofitable.
snakirigya@ug.nationmedia.com
MV Umoja resumes Port Bell-Dar route