The recent inauguration of the New Suez Canal on the waterfront in Ismailia City in Egypt is seen as an economic boost not only to the host country, but also to countries on East Coast of Africa because its operation will increase international maritime traffic in African major ports including Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Bagamoyo.

The 35 kilometre canal expansion that provides a gateway to vessels which navigate to serve East African countries and the rest of Sub Saharan Africa region would help increase the number of shipping lines coming to offload their goods at respective ports.

The Deputy Ambassador of Egypt to Tanzania Ahmed Abdel Rahim said in Dar es Salaam this week that the operation at the newly inaugurated canal has increased the number of shipping vessels from the former 49 to 97 per day.

He told the Guardian on Sunday that as cargo handling has become a competitive business worldwide, it was time for Tanzania to benefit through her ports by receiving as many shipping lines as possible.

The Ambassador was elaborating on the recent visit by Tanzanian Vice-President Dr Mohammed Gharib Bilal who attended the inauguration ceremony representing President Jakaya Kikwete who was invited together with other African leaders across the continent.

The invited guests witnessed a big economic achievement spearheaded by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi aimed to boost African economic link with other continents such as Europe, Asia and Australia.

Describing the importance of the canal to the rest of African countries, the Deputy Ambassador noted that before the expansion his country held a tripartite meeting with member countries of Common Market for Southern Africa (COMESA), East African member countries as well as the Southern African Development Coordination (SADC) member countries.

The aim of the meeting was to deliberate on how to boost the economy of these countries whose total population is estimated to be 625 million.

“Egypt has developed its economy through various ways including tripartite meetings, visits by Egyptian businessmen, provision of training in commercial issues,” he said adding that, currently his country was constructing a highway that would link African countries from Cairo to Johannesburg city.

Earlier this week, the Press Secretary to the Vice-President’s office Boniface Makene told this paper that Vice-President’s visit was in line with maintaining cordial relations which the government of Tanzania and that of Egypt has enjoyed since independence.

He further noted that, his visit has opened-up market opportunities into the country whereby trade at ports will be increased as many investors would be coming in to offload their goods.

The Arab Republic of Egypt inaugurated an expansion of a new 22-mile section of the Suez Canal that took just over a year to build at a cost of $ 8 billion (equivalent to Sh. 16 trillion which is about 70 per cent of the country’s total national budget).

Explaining on how Tanzania has prepared itself to accommodate the incoming vessels at the ports, the Ports Manager of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Habel Mhanga said that with the modernisation programme going on at Dar es Salaam’s port, whereby dock 13 and 14 are being constructed; the Bagamoyo port project under construction with World Bank funding will cater for the need to accommodate the incoming ships in future.

He also noted: “Currently TPA in collaboration with the government is carrying out a feasibility study to allow the construction of new docks which in future would allow the anchorage of bigger vessels at the port”.

Source: Hellenic Shipping News

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