Kisumu 30th jan, 2008
 
DAR LEASES CENTURY 01D LAKE KIGOMA PORT TO A BURUNDI BASED FIRM.

By Leo Odera Omolo

The Tanzanian government has leased the Kigoma port on Lake Tanganyika to a Burundi firm Maopi Operators- to run for fire year
 
This move was confirmed by Mr. Charles Kiondo, The director of Lake Port at the Tanzania Ports Authority. He told journalists that the Bujumbura based firm will manage the terminal instead of Agence Maritime International (AMI) whose contract of the port ended last year.
 
Mr. Kiondo further disclosed that Cramviport Muapi’s holding firm- will be required to revive the business and review the condition of the port for the first three years.
 
AMI ceased to operate the port’s cargo terminal after a 15 years spell.
 
Trading under the name AMI port operations the Belgiam Company did not bid for a fresh contract.
 
AMI had a close working relationship with Kigoma and Dar es Salaam, which dates back to 1921. The firm used to have dedicated goods sheds and berths.
 
Kigoma port was built by the Belgium government in 1922 and commissioned five years later.
Ami was essentially an arm of Compagnie Belge Maritime du Congo, which was established in 1895 to facilitate trade with the Belgiam Colony of Congo
 
The cargo terminal was initially owned by the defunct Tanzania Railways Corporation, (TRC) which leased it to AMI in 1995 for a five- year period in line with its policy of with drawing from direct operation, its non-core business.
 
The corporation’s subsidiary _ Maritime Service Company extended the leasing agreement with AIM in the year 2000.
 
The cargo terminal has a 301- metre ship berthing facility, goods storage sheds with a capacity to store 10,300 tonnes at a time and container stacking yard with an area of 3, 745 square metres, which can store up to 380 containers.
 
It also has an additional cargo storage facility with an area of 10,000 square metres . The port also has a 100 metre passenger quay with the capacity to handle 300,000 tonnes of cargo per annum.
 
The port’s overall handling capacity is 500,000 tonnes of no- liquid cargo per year it has tanker berthing facility that can handle 30,000 tonnes of oil annually
 
ENDs
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