TPA’s oil terminal project takes shape

DAR ES SALAAM: MINISTER for Transport, Professor Makame Mbarawa has commended the early progress of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) special oil storage tanks (Oil Terminal) project currently underway in Kigamboni District, Dar es Salaam.

The project involves the construction of 15 large tanks with a capacity to store 378,000 litres of oil upon its import into the country.

Speaking during the visit to the construction site located at Tundwi Ward, Professor Mbarawa said that the construction, which will take two years, will greatly help improve the efficiency of the port and reduce congestion of oil tankers.

Currently, a single ship incurs an average penalty of 50m/- per day while waiting in line to unload oil.

According to Professor Mbarawa, lack of oil storage tanks has led transporters being charged very high amount of money, the cost which eventually affect the citizens.

“Sometimes the oil tankers have to wait for over a week to offload oil, which shows the extent of the hardship faced by oil transporters and the fines they incur,” Professor Mbarawa said.

He further said that to make Dar es Salaam Port one of the most competitive facilities globally, the government has decided to construct 15 tanks, allowing ships to spend only a few hours offloading the fuel before departing.

Additionally, this construction will make the distribution of oil to customers (oil companies) much easier and help manage any potential fuel shortages.

He also said that the construction of the tanks will ensure the government has sufficient energy reserves for the country’s security.

“As the Minister for Transport, I am very pleased to see this project finally being implemented and I highly commend the TPA leadership for this achievement,” he said.

“We tried several times in the past but failed; however, the strong planning by the TPA board and management has led to the realisation of this project,” Professor Mbarawa added.

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Briefing about the project, Project Manager Engineer Hamis Hassan Mbutu said that the project is expected to be completed on time and will be beneficial for both the port and the government in terms of revenue collection.

Earlier, TPA Assistant Director Juma Kijavara said that the construction contract worth 678.6bn/-, was officially signed on February 26, 2024 and the contractor, China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, has already been paid 9.9bn/- to commence the construction.

Explaining the project’s progress to Professor Mbarawa, Engineer Wen Hongyuan from China Railway said that the project is currently at 5 per cent completion, with the clearing of the construction site and the setup of offices for the builders already completed.

Regarding the allocation of the tanks, he noted that the construction would include six tanks for storing diesel, five tanks for storing petrol and three tanks for storing aviation fuel.