The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
17 April 2008
editorial
Dar es Salaam Port is in the minds of many people; even those who have nothing do with the import and export business, synonymous with congestion.
And it's precisely because a lot has been said and written about the endemic problem, with numerous proposals on how to ease the cargo pile-up and make the facility more useful to the country and its landlocked neighbours. Dar Port is a strategic artery to the national economy and the entire Great Lakes hinterland.
Despite the implementation of various measures to help decongest the port and boost its efficiency and competitiveness, the problem persists.
And from the way things look, a lasting solution to the cargo quagmire is unlikely in the near future. It's, therefore, no surprising that calls to explore viable options are mounting.
Currently, the port handles about 343,000 containers a year, well beyond its installed capacity of 250,000 such units. The existing infrastructure can only handle between 450,000 and 650,000 containers, when projections show that the container volume will reach 915,000 in 2015 and 1,435,000 by 2025.
The failure to clear the mess speaks volumes about lack of strategic planning in the national development and economic management agenda. It is also a sign that piecemeal measures such as inland container depots (ICDs) are a problem in themselves.
The ICDs are handicapped by a multitude of problems such poor space management, inappropriate cargo handling equipment and other logistical shortcomings. A good example is the extension of the port congestion into places such as Mandela Road, where one ICD is based.
The idea of developing private container seaports sounds good. It should, in fact, be fast-tracked for these will not only help decongest the port, but also have other huge multiplier benefits. Those proposing the approach say the ports have the potential to inject some $1.5 billion into the national economy and create thousands of much-needed direct and indirect jobs.
The containers to be dotted along the country's coastline are, however, not the panacea for what bedevils what was once the most competitive port in the region. What is actually needed is an excellent logistics chain to enable even the little that passes through the current ports to do so smoothly, quickly and efficiently.
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