The Port of Dar es Salaam (''Bandari ya Dar es Salaam'', in

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

) is the principal

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

serving

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

located in

Kurasini Kurasini (''Kata ya Kurasini'', in Swahili) is an administrative ward in the Temeke district of the Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania. Home of The Dar es Salaam Port, It is the location of the Port of Dar es Salaam; the fourth-largest port ...

ward of

Temeke District Temeke District, officially the Temeke Municipal Council (''Halimashauri ya Manispaa ya Temeke'', in Swahili language, Swahili) is one of five Districts of Tanzania, districts of the Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania. Temeke is bordered to the sout ...

Dar es Salaam Region Dar es Salaam Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions and is located on the east coast of the country. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land and water areas of the nation state of Ma ...

. The port is one of three ocean ports in the country and handles over 90% of the country's cargo traffic. According to the

International Association of Ports and Harbors The International Association of Ports and Harbors ( IAPH) is the global trade association for seaports worldwide. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Formed in 1955, it is now recognised as the NGO representing ports worldwide. With over 200 po ...

, it is the fourth largest port on the African continent's

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

coastline after

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital status in 1907. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

and

Maputo Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

. The port acts as a gateway for commerce and trade for

and numerous bordering landlocked states.

History

Colonial period

The city owes its existence to the port at Dar es Salaam. The city began its development in 1862 by the

Sultan of Zanzibar The sultans of Zanzibar (; ) were the rulers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was created on 19 October 1856 after the death of Said bin Sultan. He had ruled Oman and Zanzibar as the sultan of Oman since 1804. The sultans of Zanzibar were of ...

Majid bin Said Sayyid Majid bin Saïd al-Busaidi () ( – ) was the first List of sultans of Zanzibar, Sultan of Zanzibar. He ruled Sultanate of Zanzibar, Zanzibar from 19 October 1856 to 7 October 1870. He succeeded his father Said bin Sultan as ruler of Zanz ...

as an alternative port to the ports of

Bagamoyo Bagamoyo (''Mji wa Bagamoyo'', in Swahili) is a historic coastal town and capital of Bagamoyo District in the Pwani Region of Tanzania. Much of the settlement was founded at the end of the 18th century, though it is an extension of a much old ...

and

Zanzibar Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...

; however, after his death the project was scrapped. It was not resumed until the

German East Africa Company The German East Africa Company (, abbreviated DOAG) was a chartered colonial organization that brought about the establishment of German East Africa, a territory which eventually comprised the areas of modern Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. The ...

began to rebuild the city in 1887. The Germans had already completed the

Usambara Railway The Usambara Railway () was the first railway to be built in German East Africa and what is today Tanzania. History German East-Africa A railway company was created in 1891 with the aim of connecting the port of Tanga at the Indian Ocean wit ...

from the

Port of Tanga The Port of Tanga (''Bandari ya Tanga'' in Swahili) is the second largest port in Tanzania. It is located on Tanga Bay in Central ward of Tanga District of Tanga Region. History Historically the port city part of the Portuguese and Arab gatew ...

and began constructing the new Tanzanian Central Line from their new capital to the port of Dar es Salaam. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

took over Tanganyika and maintained their capital in the city. Economic activity continued through the early 20th century and through

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, centralised around the city and this facilitated expansion of the port. After Tanganyika gained its independence the city retained its position as the commercial capital.

Apartheid South Africa

Due to the

Apartheid South Africa Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

government many land-locked Southern African countries such as

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

and

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

that had relied on South African ports turned to the Port of Dar es Salaam. This facilitated the construction of the

TAZARA Railway The Tazara Railway, also called the Uhuru Railway or the Tanzam Railway, is a railway in East Africa linking the port of Dar es Salaam in east Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. The single-track railway is ...

, TANZAM highway and the Malawi corridor link. The port provides a gateway for Zambian copper exports and Malawian tobacco exports, furthermore it provides a vital lifeline for fuel imports.

Present operations

With the continually growing economies in the region the reliance of dar port increased drastically. The port saw an average of 10% annual growth of cargo traffic from 2003 onwards which complemented the rapid growth of the city of Dar es Salaam. The port has faced increased criticism of inefficiencies and corruption and has seen increased international pressure.

Expansion

The port is currently being expanded at the cost of $421m. The number of vehicles will rise by 268 percent upon completion of the port. In July 2020, a foundation stone was laid for the construction of an inland port in Tanzania at the cost of $20m. The construction will include building a 150m berth, which is all set for completion in 24 months. As of July 2020, 80 percent of the construction has been completed.

Foreign cargo centers

35% of cargo moving through the port is foreign owned and Dar es Salaam port facilitates countries that rely heavily on Dar es salaam port and gives them licenses to operate their own cargo centers. The foreign cargo centers help countries to process cargo from their respective countries to increase efficiency and reduce costs.

MOFED Tanzania Limited

MOFED Tanzania limited is a

n-owned clearing and forwarding company. MOFED stands for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development which in April 2001 replaced the defunct zamcargo. The company is an entirely Zambian government owned organization and deals with the majority of Zambian Exports and Imports. MOFED operates out of the Mukuba Depot, located in south

and has direct access to the

TAZARA The Tazara Railway, also called the Uhuru Railway or the Tanzam Railway, is a railway in East Africa linking the port of Dar es Salaam in east Tanzania with the town of Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province. The single-track railway is ...

rail link.

Malawi Cargo Center Limited

The

Cargo Center was set up by the

Government of Malawi Politics of Malawi takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Malawi is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by th ...

in the early 1990s due to the closure of Beira and

Nacala Nacala (also known as Cidade de Nacala or Nacala-Porto) is a city on the northern coast of Mozambique. Located in the southwestern indentation of inner Fernao Veloso Bay, it is the deepest natural port on the east coast of Africa. Nacala serves a ...

ports following the

Mozambique Civil war The Mozambican Civil War () was a civil war fought in Mozambique from 1977 to 1992 due to a combination of local strife and the polarizing effects of Cold War politics. The fighting was between Mozambique's ruling Marxist Mozambique Liberation ...

. The company has dedicated warehouses and operates

dry port A dry port (sometimes referred to as an inland port) is an inland intermodal terminal directly connected by road or rail to a seaport, operating as a centre for the transshipment of sea cargo to inland destinations. In addition to their role i ...

s in Dar es Salaam and

Mbeya Mbeya is a city located in south west Tanzania, Africa, with an urban population of 649,000 in 2023. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya Region, Mbeya region (population, with Mbeya, totals approx. 2 million). Mbeya is situated a ...

. The MCCL's main revenue earner/cargo is fuel bound for

. Fuel and goods are loaded onto wagons on the

bound for

and then trucked into

through the Kyela Border.

Awards

Dar Port has been voted Africa's Leading Cruise Port in the 27th edition of the World Travel Awards in Africa.

References

External links

Opening the Gates: How the port of Dar es Salaam Can Transform Tanzania
{{Authority control Dar Transport in Dar es Salaam Buildings and structures in Dar es Salaam Economy of Dar es Salaam