THE Tanzania Ports Authority has implored businesspeople to use waterways for transportation of raw materials and goods to reduce cost and ensure efficiency in the market.
The call was issued by TPA’s Manager for Lake Nyasa ports Mr Manga Gassaya when briefing TSN journalists on the operations and performance of Lake Nyasa-based ports.
He said transportation through ships is a very cost-effective way to transport bulky goods, like coal, cement and various types of bulky materials.
“Water transport is the most efficient and economically viable transport,” he said, calling on business people and travellers in the Southern Highlands regions and the country at large to use this model of transport to cut cost and decongest roads.
According to Mr Gassaya, another advantage of water-based transportation is that ships are spacious and they can carry heavy loads.
Giving an example, the TPA Manager said it takes 34 trucks to transport 1000 tonnes of cargo, but only one vessel can transport such cargo volume.
He insisted that multimodal transportation that includes roads and waterways is cheaper compared to use of road transportation only.
He said the cost of transporting 1, 020 tonnes of cargo through a single road transportation modal from Liweta mine in Ruvuma Region to Mbeya Cement Industry in Mbeya Region is 36,964.8 US Dollars, while transporting the same consignment using road/ship/road costs 27,886.8 US Dollars.
“The difference is 9,078 US Dollars, about 22m/- ,” he revealed.
Mr Gassaya added that water transportation is equally economical for farmers who transport crops and other agricultural products to the markets along coastal areas.
He, however, expressed concerns that despite massive investment committed by the government through the TPA towards improving water transportation, people don’t utilise the available facilities sufficiently.
He asserted that most exporters and importers are still not aware of the advantages and cost efficiency of water transport compared to land and other modes of transport.
According to environmentalists, water transportation also helps reduce the amount of damage done to the environment, since water-based transportation does not damage the land.
Water transportation is also said to be the most secure method of transporting goods. The main reason behind this is that there are no shocks or vibrations when transporting goods in water.
Currently, TPA operates two cargo vessels plying Lake Nyasa; MV Njombe and MV Ruvuma, each with 1000 tonnes capacity, and one passenger and cargo vessel, MV Mbeya II with the capacity to carry 200 passengers and 200 tonnes of cargo.
