TPA invests over 11bn/- in cargo clearance at Dar es Salaam port

Phares Magesa, TPA Director of Information and Communication Technology

Tanzania first E. Afrcian country to adopt technology

Over 11bn/- has been invested for the installation of a system that will facilitate cargo clearance at the Dar es Salaam port as of next month.

Dubbed the ‘Electronic Single Window System’ (ESWS), it is the brainchild of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and is expected to reduce container congestion and fast-track cargo clearance at the port.

Following the move, the port will be capable of handling 15 million tonnes of cargo compared to the current 13 million tonnes per year.

This was revealed late last week in Dar es Salaam by the TPA Director of Information and Communication Technology, Phares Magesa during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between TPA and a Belgian firm, PHAEROS Group, contracted to introduce the ESWS project.

Magesa said the money will be used to buy software and cover its installation as well as meet capacity requirements.

According to Magesa, the ESWS will remove delays in cargo clearing and forwarding and customers will not be required to physically go to the port for documentation.

He explained: “With the new system, it is hoped that cargo will be cleared from the port in less than five days compared to the current nine days.”
He explained that by 2015 the port will have the capacity of handling 18 million tonnes of cargo per year.

PHAEROS General Manager, Stan De Smet, said his company has great experience in the ESWS and called for cooperation from stakeholders to ensure its effective implementation.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the ESWS Technical Committee, Jumbe Menye, noted that Tanzania is the first country in Eastern and Central Africa to have such technology and globally, Malaysia and Singapore are the first countries to use the ESWS in their ports and both have recorded tremendous success in cargo handling.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN