Mtwara marches on
Shem Oirere | Mar 08, 2018 11:42AM GMT
A section of Mtwara port where construction of the first berth has been launched. Credit: Rendal
Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is carrying out a USD214 million expansion, the biggest since its 1948–54 construction, of the country’s third-largest port, Mtwara, in the south of the country.
It aims to create increased capacity ahead of an anticipated surge in demand because of greater mineral exploration and production and the completion of the Mtwara Development Corridor programme. The port currently handles mainly bulk imports such as unprocessed cashew nuts, cement, foodstuffs, and miscellaneous general cargoes.
First of four berths
As part of the expansion, in March 2017 TPA began construction of the first of four new berths, all of which will be constructed on 263 ha of newly acquired land under a design, build, and finance model, according to TPA. The first will be 300 m long.
Its design and build contract, worth USD63 million, was awarded by the authority to a joint venture of China Railways’ subsidiaries, comprising China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, China Railway Construction Engineering Group, and China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group. The joint venture will also construct an additional oil jetty near the port to accommodate Panamax vessels of 65,000 dwt.
“The joint venture won the bidding with the most economical and optimal proposal and stood out of 25 competitors, becoming the first overseas engineering project in 2017,” China Railways said in a statement after it won the international competitive tender.
One of the joint venture members, China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group (MEBC), has chosen UK-based privately owned multidisciplinary international design and engineering firm Rendel to provide an independent design check on the construction of the additional berth.
Rendel said early this year that the berth would have a total quay length of 300 m for a multipurpose and container terminal to cater for vessels of up to 65,000 dwt and a paved yard area of 79,000 m² of heavy-duty pavement.
“Rendel will also be checking associated fenders and bollards installed at the quay, as well as the revetment and soil improvement,” it said. “[We] will be working closely with MEBC and its designers during the independent design check to ensure that a detailed programme is developed to ensure timely delivery of the works.”
The construction of the berths, which is being financed by the government of Tanzania, will be done alongside new storage units, loading and unloading facilities, and administrative buildings.
Demand is expected to increase from the current 400,000 tonnes annually to 28 million tonnes by 2030, according to TPA.
Mining rail spurs
The anticipated surge in demand is tied to the completion of the 219-million-tonne Liganga iron ore and 364-million-tonne Mchuchuma coal mining projects, both valued at USD3 billion. The mining initiatives are being implemented by Tanzania China International Mineral Resources, a joint venture between Tanzania’s National Development Corporation and China’s Sichuan Hongda Group, which owns 80% of the company.
Coal and iron ore will be transported via a new 438 km standard-gauge railway line linking Mtwara to Mbamba Bay through Songea, with spurs to the Liganga and Mchuchuma mines, built by China Railway No 2 Engineering Group.
Expansion is also expected to cater for a projected traffic increase with the completion of the Mtwara Development Corridor project supported by the governments of Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. The project involves a network of roads, airports, ferry services, bridges, and telecommunications facilities, all to be linked to Mtwara port.
One of the key corridor project components is a new 804 km road linking it via Songea to Mbamba Bay with a branch to Negomane, on the border of Mozambique and Tanzania.
Capacity increases
Nelson Mlali, Tanzania’s ports manager, recently highlighted the increase in loading stations, the addition of loading/unloading equipment, and the introduction of a 24-hour working schedule as some of the measures that have boosted the port’s performance.
Mlali noted the port can handle up to 750,000 tonnes with its current berths but requires additional equipment for handling containerised traffic.
Currently, its cargo handling equipment includes a 100-tonne mobile harbour crane, two 45-tonne reachstackers, a 42-tonne front loader, two mobile cranes of 50 and 25 tonnes, three empty handlers, eight 16-tonne forklifts, six terminal tractors, two hoppers, and four grabs.
“In 2016–17, we had an average 215,852 tonnes of cashew nuts going through the port of Mtwara, an 85.6% increase on 2015–16’s 116,289 tonnes,” Mlali said. “We are undertaking various port improvement initiatives to handle an expected increase in cashew-nut cargoes. We have also expanded the space for empty containers and enhanced security at the port to safeguard both the users and cargo, in our determination to achieve and maintain international port operation standards.”
TPA said that in 2016–17, the port handled a total average of 377,000 tonnes, an equivalent of 93% of its annual capacity of 400,000 tonnes.
Cargo through the port has experienced a 23.9% increase in the past eight years, fuelled by the construction of a USD500 million cement manufacturing plant by Nigeria-based Dangote Group. It has an annual capacity of 3 million tonnes.
Throughput also increased significantly during the construction of the 533 km Mtwara–Dar es Salaam natural gas pipeline project to convey gas from the Mnazi Bay fields in Mtwara region to the capital, Dar es Salaam.
Future benefits
“The additional berths will ensure there is no congestion at the port,” said Mlali, indicating that when the project is completed, shipping freight rates should drop because of the anticipated reduced waiting time for ships in the port, increased shiploading, and efficient use of the additional berths. In addition, transit times will be reduced and vessels will be permitted to move at most states of the tide and at night.
TPA expects to achieve a high safety rating for the port, attract bigger ships and more transhipment cargo, and fast clearance of vessels and cargo as the port enhances its performance efficiency and productivity.
With the exploitation of mineral resources, including oil and gas in Tanzania’s Mnazi Bay, now on course, the expansion of Mtwara Port has come at the right time, despite years of delay.
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Mtwara marches on | IHS Fairplay