Dar es Salaam is gearing up for 43% growth in volumes over the next four years as new berths and facilities come into operation.Handled cargo volumes will increase by 7.5 million tons – to 25 million tons in 2025 – compared to the 17.5 million tons in 2020, according to the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA).“Despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, we managed to handle 17.5 million tons of cargo in 2019/2020, compared to 17.1 million recorded in 2018/19. “We failed, however, to meet our target of 18 million tons last year,” said the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) director general Deusdedit Kakoko.The port is being upgraded through a $421-million Dar es Salaam Marine Gateway Project (DMGP). It is a 10-year, two-phase project that started in 2015.The first phase covers the expansion of eight berths, dredging the approach, and the construction of container yards and a rail terminal. The entrance channel will be dredged from 10.5m to 16m, and widened from 145m to 170m.The second phase will cover the expansion of four berths (Berths 8 to 11).The port now has six operational berths, following the opening of a refurbished berth in March 2021.Work has also been completed on berth 0 (roll yard), which can accommodate 6 000 vehicles.
