Mwanza — THE government has allocated 113bn/ for Marine Service Company Limited (MSCL) to enhance its operations and improve marine transport.
The funds will be used for renovation and construction of new marine vessels, tugs and slipway for docking.
A tug, or more commonly a tugboat, is a secondary boat which helps in the mooring or berthing operation of a ship by either towing or pushing a vessel towards the port while a slipway, also known as boat ramp, launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water.
MSCL Public Relation Officer Mr Edmond Rutajama said the money allocated in this financial year will facilitate implementation of 12 projects, of which four are new, three are ongoing and five are lined up for implementation. The projects are in Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika.
Mr Rutajama revealed that on Wednesday while speaking to journalists on behalf of the MSCL's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Erick Hamissi.
He said a total of 53bn/- from the fund will be used for execution of seven projects in Lake Tanganyika while 57bn/- will be spent on five projects in Lake Victoria while the remaining 3bn/- will be used to facilitate MSCL's operations in Lake Nyasa.
He said projects implemented in Lake Victoria include the construction of New Mv Mwanza Hapa Kazi Tu - the 92.6-metre-long vessel with the capacity to carry 1200 passengers, 400 tonnes of cargo and 20 vehicles. The vessel is largest ship in East Africa and in the Great Lakes region.
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Other projects include the renovation of MV Umoja, which is the cargo vessel, renovation of MT Nyangumi which is the Marine Tug (MT) for carrying petroleum products, and renovation of MT Ukerewe.
He noted that projects in Lake Tanganyika include renovation of the MV Liemba, MT Sangara, and MV Muongozo, construction of new marine cargo vessel with capacity of carrying 400 tonnes and 600 passengers as well as construction of Lake Tanganyika's major slipway ground with capacity of 4,500 tonnes.
Mr Rutajama further said that the "New Mv Mwanza Hapa Kazi Tu" has reached 80 per cent of construction, noting that they expect to undock the ship next month so that it can be placed on the Lake Victoria for final construction procedures which includes wiring, including carrying out first trial.
"MSCL's priority is to ensure quality and timely implementation of all projects, we will ensure value for money... we thank President Samia Suluhu Hassan for continuing to finance different marine projects" Mr Rutajama noted.
