Port Overview

There are two ports in Mwanza city, Mwanza North port is primarily a passenger terminal Mwanza South Port is a cargo port, these ports located on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in Tanzania approximately 3 kilometres apart within the Mwanza city urban area. Mwanza is the largest port on the lake and plays a vital role in the country's trade and transportation sector. The port is owned and operated by the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA).

Mwanza South Port has a single conventional Warf with a length of 280 meters divided into 3 berths with maximum draft of 5 meters. The port can handle a wide range of cargo, including breakbulk, bulk, and liquid goods. The port also has a dedicated liquid/oil reception facility. Mwanza South Port is well-connected to the Tanzanian road and rail networks. The port is also connected to the neighbouring countries of Kenya and Uganda by ferry services which include three rail ferry’s operated by Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. These ferries provide a crucial intermodal link from Dar es Salam and Tanga ports to the ports of Kisumu in Kenya and Port Bell in Uganda.

 

Port website: https://www.ports.go.tz/index.php/en/ports/lake-victoria-respective-ports

Key port information may also be found at: http://www.maritime-database.com.

 

 

Port Location and Contact
Country	Tanzania
Province or District	Mwanza
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Port	0 km
Port's Complete Name	Mwanza Port South
Latitude	-2.535701
Longitude	32.901259
Managing Company or Port Authority	Tanzania Port Authority /
Management Contact Person	Mr. Erasto Lugenge; +255784761540
Nearest Airport and Airlines with Frequent International Arrivals/Departures	Mwanza Airport (10km)

Port Picture

 

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

Marine Services Company Limited (MSCL) is a Tanzanian company based in Mwanza. Prior to registration in 1997, MSCL was an integral part of Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC). The company has more than 50 years of experience in maritime transport across Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa. MSCL services across the three lakes serves provide vital transport services to communities along the lakes and provides intermodal connectivity for the Northern and Central Corridors as well as East and Central African countries bordering the lakes. MSCL has a fleet of 15 vessels for both Passengers and Cargo transportation. Nine (9) of these vessels are deployed on Lake Victoria, 3 on Lake Tanganyika and 2 on Lake Nyasa. The fleet is made up of 8 Passenger-Cargo vessels, 2 Oil Tankers, 1 Wagon Ferry, 1 Tug, 2 self-propelled barges and one tourist boat. MSCL operate the Linkspan which allows rail freight carriages embark the 4 ships for passage across Lake Victoria. Each of the vessels has the capacity to embark 22 rail carriages.

MSCL currently construction a new vessel called MV Mwanza “Hapa Kazi Tu” with a capacity of 1,200 passengers and 400 tonnes of cargo which will be the largest vessel operating on Lake Victoria when it is commissioned in 2024.

MV Umoja, Tanzania

MV Uhuru, Kenya

MV Pemba, Uganda

 

For more information on port contacts, please see the following link: 4.4 Port and Waterways Companies Contact List here.

Port Performance

The port of Mwanza has a channel draft and quay draft of 9 meters and 5 meters respectively. This is a great limitation to vessel size that can dock at the port. The port does not face any congestion problem and generally, the vessels are berthed on arrival. The construction of MV Mwanza “Hapa Kazi Tu” has blocked berth 1 for several years however the vessel is due to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2024 which will free up berth 1.  when MV Mwanza “Hapa Kazi Tu” is operational this will add a new RoRo dimension to the terminal operations as the vessel will have capacity for 20 vehicles.

 

 

Seasonal Constraints
	Occurs	Time Frame
Rainy Season	Yes	From Oct to Dec and Mar to Jun
Major Import Campaigns	No
Other Comments	N/A

 

Handling Figures for 2022/23 FY
Vessel Calls	2,341
Container Traffic (TEUs)	N/A

 

Handling Figures Bulk and Break Bulk for 2022/23 FY
Bulk (MT)	6000MT Coal
Break bulk (MT)	267,735.91

Discharge Rates and Terminal Handling Charges

SHIPPING FEES FOR SEABORNE CARGO DESTINED TO OR FROM TANZANIA

TPA-Tariff-Book_pub.pdf (ports.go.tz)

Berthing Specifications

Type of Berth	Quantity	Length (m)	Maximum Draft (m)	Comments
Conventional Berth	3	100m 100m 80m	5m
Container Berth	N/A
Silo Berth	N/A
Berthing Tugs	1
Water Barges	N/A

 

The Mwanza North and south ports have a total warf length of 280m terminal and an Oil jetty.

The North port has one berth available for passenger traffic while the South Port has three berths available for cargo and passenger traffic.

• Berth 1 – 100m (cargo terminal),
• Berth 2 – 100m (passenger terminal),
• Berth 3 – 80m (passenger terminal)
• 10m berth for passenger terminal on the North Port.

https://www.ports.go.tz/index.php/en/ports/lake-victoria-respective-ports

 

Berths

Cargo Type	Berth Identification
Imports - Bagged Cargo	1
Exports - Bagged Cargo	1
Imports and Exports - RoRo	N/A
Other Imports

Port Handling Equipment

The cargo terminal of Mwanza port south has a Portal crane, two forklifts, a mobile crane, a tug Linder, Weigh Bridge, Floating Dock and Dredger all operated by Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA).

Equipment	Available	Total Quantity and Capacity Available	Comments on Current Condition and Actual Usage
Dockside Crane	No
Container Gantries	No
Mobile Cranes	Yes	1	50mt capacity
Reach stacker	No
RoRo Tugmaster (with Trailer)	No
Grain Elevator with Bagging Machines	No
Transtainer	No
Forklifts	Yes	2	1 x 3 mt, 1 x 5mt

Container Facilities

Facilities	20 ft	40 ft
Container Facilities Available	N/A	N/A
Container Freight Station (CFS)	N/A	N/A
Refrigerated Container Stations	N/A	N/A
Other Capacity Details	N/A	N/A
Daily Take Off Capacity (Containers per Day)	N/A	N/A
Number of Reefer Stations (Connection Points)	N/A	N/A
Emergency Take-off Capacity	N/A	N/A
Off take Capacity of Gang Shift (Containers per Shift)	N/A	N/A

Customs Guidance

Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) have a customs offices located at the port which operates on a 24/7 basis. The volumes of cargo transiting through the port are not high which makes for quick clearance and very short delays to transit times. Preclearance can be of cargo can be done online through the Tanzania Customs Integrated System (TANCIS) portal to minimise delays in customs clearance at the port of departure

 

For more information on customs in Tanzania, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information. 

Terminal Information

MULTIPURPOSE TERMINAL

The multipurpose terminal at Mwanza port south includes a general cargo Warf with a total length of length of 280m an Oil jetty and a Linkspan. the South Port Warf is divided into Berth 1 – 100m (cargo terminal), Berth 2 – 100m (passenger terminal), Berth 3 – 80m (passenger terminal), The Linkspan connects the central rail corridor to rail ferries that operate across Lake Victoria from Tanzania to Port Bell, Uganda and Kisumu Port, Kenya. Three vessels have the capability attach to the Linkspan to embark 22 rail carriages for transport across the Lake.

 

GRAIN AND BULK HANDLING

Mwanza South port bulk cargo is mainly wood imported from Uganda the export of cement to Uganda. Ther port does not have facilities for bagging of bulk cargo as there is presently no demand.

MAIN STORAGE TERMINAL

Mwanza North port is the main Passenger terminal, upgrading of this terminal are due to commence in 2024 with the construction of a new terminal building. Mwanza South port is the primary cargo terminal with a rail siding in the port area, three storage sheds with 5691 m3 of covered storage and 3000 m² of open storage available.

Storage Type	Number of Storage Facilities	Area (m2)
Bagged Cargo	1	5691.1 m3
Refrigerated Cargo	N/A
General Cargo	1	3000m2

Stevedoring

All stevedoring services at both Mwanza port North and South are provided by Tanzania Port Authority.

Hinterland Information

Mwanza port South is connected to the hinterland via the Central rail corridor and road, Mwanza South port also provides the rail link to neighbouring countries across Lake Victoria for good shipped from Dar es Salaam and Tanga costal ports. This Rail/ Ferry link is vital for Uganda as a crucial trade link to and from the Indian Ocean.  

Port Security

Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC) is the regulatory authority for Tanzania inland waterways. TASAC is responsible for regulation of maritime administration, maritime environment, safety and security, the ports of Mwanza North and south comply with security level 1 under TASAC security requirements.

Security
ISPS Compliant	No.
Current ISPS Level (Level 1 = Normal, Level 2 = Heightened, Level 3 = Exceptional)	N/A
Police Boats	Yes
Fire Engines	Yes