Port fetes safe docking of Norwegian passenger liner

18Jan 2024
James Kandoya
DAR ES SALAAM
News
The Guardian
Port fetes safe docking of Norwegian passenger liner

HEFTY investments made at the port of Dar es Salaam have started to pay off as the longest cruise ship of 294 metres carrying 2,340 tourists and 1,011 crew members docked at the port yesterday.

Norwegian Dawn, widely reckoned as the world’s longest cruise ship docked at the Dar es Salaam Port yesterday. It is said to have capacity for 2,340 tourists and just over one thousand crew members, Photo: Guardian Correspondent

Mrisho Selemani Mrisho, the port director, told reporters after the arrival of the Norwegian Dawn cruise liner that the ship was on its first trip to bring the guests, scheduled to visit various attractions in the country,

The liner with capacity for 4700 passengers docked at Dar port at around 7am from the northerly port of Mombasa across the border, a change attributed to major improvements like widening berths.

These are among the positive outcomes of the Dar es Salaam Maritime Gateway Project (DMGP) seeking to enhance efficiency at Dar port, he said, noting that some of the tourists are set to visit the Selous Game Reserve, a portion of which is now the Nyerere National Park.

DMGP is financed by the World Bank, deepening existing berths 1 to7 to 14.5m, along with deepening and widening the entrance channel and turning basin to the end of berth 11 to 15.5m, he said.

Improving the port’s rail linkages and platform and deepening berths 8 to 11 to 14.5m is expected, as the port seeks to serve large vessels (305 metres), from a limitation of around 264 metres length of vessels at present, he explained.

These improvement will bring down intermediary costs for businesses, strengthening port competitiveness and easing its trade hub prospects, he stated, affirming that the project will help to unlock the strategic potential of the port, to generate robust revenues

From Dar es Salaam, the cruise liner will dock at the port of Maputo, on the southern tip of neighbouring Mozambique.

Major improvements at Dar port have enabled large vessels of 305 metres to dock, enhancing its competitive standing vis a vis rival ports,” he said, inviting shipping firms and operators of cruise liners to start using Dar port as a regular destination.

Abdullah Mwingamno, the port’s master mariner said that widening the entrance channel will enable Panamax ships to dock, noting that before the liner was guided from the outer anchor the crew underwent three months of simulation training in Germany.

“I have today succeeded in guiding the ship from the outer anchor through the gateway and dock safely,” he stated, adding that the Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) was training more captains to handle 305 metres vessels from the outer anchor through gateway and dock.

 

 

 

Top Stories