Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS)

The Government led Port Improvement Committee has assured port stakeholders and the general public of improved performance at Dar es Salaam port’s container terminal in order to improve the country’s economy.

This assurance follows a number of concerns raised by port stakeholders and the public over inefficiency at the Tanzania International Container Terminal (TICTS) following a breakdown of the SG crane and unutilized space as container terminal congestion reaches alarming heights.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of Port Improvement Committee held at the Dar es Salaam Port yesterday, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, who is also the Chairman of the Committee Eng Omar Chambo said efficiency of the Port, is paramount to the country’s economy.

The Permanent Secretary directed the container terminal operators to double performance by increasing moves from 10 containers to 20 containers per hour. He also directed TICTS management to speed up ongoing civil works for the construction of additional berth space by at least completing 120 metres to enable one more vessel to berth.  On availability of quay equipment, Chambo advised TICTS to hire mobile crane to improve offloading of containers as they wait for arrival of their new machine.

Chambo said “this development would increase terminal capacity to serving at least two vessels at a go.” To ensure effective performance of the terminal, the PS asked both TPA and Tanzania Shipping lines Agents Association (TASAA) leadership to monitor TICTS’s performance closely and evaluate their performance reports and ensure that they abide by contractual terms.

“TPA has the mandate to set performance benchmark for TICTS because it is their Landlord,” he said, promising that he would personally follow up the matter. Reacting to stakeholders concerns, the TICTS Chief Operating Officer Mr Anton Klaas promised to implement stakeholders’ proposals so as to address the bottlenecks faced by the terminal that undermine their performance.

To start with, he said TICTS will acquire new equipment including one brand new crane expected to be at the terminal by early June and construction work for additional yard space is ongoing.  The meeting was attended by representatives from TASSA, clearing agents (TAFFA), Customs officials, SUMATRA to mention but a few.

Source Tanzania Daily News

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