How many moving vessels are sailing on Tanzanian waters?
The number will be known soon.
At least, from the ongoing counting exercise for small water vessels plying the country’s various water bodies.
This is because the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC) is working with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in executing the census of such water vessels.
The exercise also involves the ministry of livestock and fisheries as well as the President Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG).
The TASAC Director General, Kaimu Mkeyenge, reveals here that the Moving Vessel Census also collects information about the ships makes, sizes, ownership and their specific locations in the country, sea, lakes region and also district.
“The census targets to achieve numerous purposes including improving the safety management of water transport vessels, policy making and plans that will help increase the economic contribution of water resources in national income,” Mkeyenge states.
The Moving Water Vessels’ census is the first to be conducted in the country since independence and in fact none has ever taken place even before December 1961.
“This exercise has never been done before but we are confident that it will benefit the various stakeholders in the water transport sector,” the TASAC official pointed out.
Other than the said vessels count and registrations, Tanzania is also striving to promote investment in the country’s water transportation sector as well as the related fishing industry.
The government is also finalizing the implementation of the International Communication and Transport project in Lake Victoria.
And to accomplish that, there are various ongoing projects including the establishment of four rescue centers which are being set up at Kanyala in Sengerema, Musoma in Mara, Nansio Port of Ukerewe and Ilemela shores of Mwanza.
The rescue centers which will help to address challenges of water transport facilitate rapid marine assistance and rescue as well as increase economic opportunities for communities living along the Lake Victoria shoreline.
The scheme, being implemented in Tanzania and Uganda is expected to cost nearly 60 billion/- upon its completion.
On the Tanzanian side the project will be executed at the cost of around 20 billion/- .
“This project is expected to be completed in December 2024 and already the consultant has been assigned for the proposed working areas,” Mkeyenge maintained.
Tanzania is home to Africa’s largest Lake, the Nyanza also known as Victoria which the country shares with Kenya and Uganda.
There is also Lake Tanganyika; the second deepest in the world, which also covers Burundi, Zambia and DR Congo, as well as Lake Nyasa which Tanzania shares with Malawi.
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