The largest cargo ship to call at Dar es Salaam

A cargo ship - the first of its kind and the largest to call at the port – has docked in the Port of Dar es Salaam, showing that the harbour could accommodate large cargo vessels, reports the Tanzania Guardian. According to minister of transport, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, the port ‘s entrance channel could now handle Panamax-size vessels. Dr Mwakyembe said the ship, belonging to Maersk Shipping, was 250 metres long and 38 metres wide. It had the capacity to carry 4 500 TEUs. He said the government had sent a special team to Lagos to analyse and assess the capacity of the ship and ascertain whether it could dock at the Dar es Salaam port … and their verdict turned out positive. He said it was the largest vessel to have docked at the port; previous large ships ranged from 220 to 234 metres in length, with capacity to carry 2 800-3 000 TEUs only. He said the port puts the upper limit of cargo ship sizes at 234 metres long, but said reforms had been made to meet global market demands for increased operations at the port.