Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — The Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) has renovated its container handling facilities at Dar es Salaam, Makambako, New Kapiri, Mposhi and Kasama to provide better services to their customers.

The renovation has been done after four gantry cranes were also rehabilitated following a contact that was signed between TAZARA and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) on 30th, May, 2011 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The completion of the gantry crane rehabilitation also marked the successful conclusion of six of the nine projects under the 14th Protocol, leaving the anticipated rehabilitation of three shunting locomotives, supply of SKF bearings for wagons and supply of two new shunting locomotives as the outstanding projects.

TAZARA authorities said CCECC has completed the rehabilitation work on the four gantry cranes according to the quality standards specified in the contract.

The gantry cranes, which have been out of service for many years, have a lifting capacity of 36 metric tons and are mainly used for lifting containerized cargo onto and off the wagons.

TAZARA Managing Director, Mr. Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika said that the signed agreement confirmed the acceptance of the handover of all the four rehabilitated gantry cranes.

According to TAZARA Head of Public Relations, Mr. Conrad Simuchile, the Acceptance Certificate was co-signed by Mr. Miao Zhong, the leader of the Chinese Railway Experts Team based at TAZARA Head Office, on behalf of CCECC.

Following the signing of the Acceptance Certificate, Mr. Mbikusita-Lewanika said, "we are satisfied with the quality of works done on four gantry cranes by CCECC, and have willingly and eagerly accepted the rehabilitated equipments, which marks the restoration of TAZARA's capacity to properly and efficiently handle container traffic."