Seatrade Maritime: Dar Es Salaam port closed as chaos erupts in Tanzania

Tanzania’s main port of Dar Es Salaam is closed due to civil unrest following a general election in the African nation.

Tanzania is in lockdown with a communications blackout with violent chaos and unconfirmed reports of many dead following a general election on 29 October.

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) said that as of 18:00 hrs local time on 29 October the government had placed the country under indefinite curfew and there was a nationwide internet blackout.

Dar Es Salaam port closed at midnight with no operations taking place and ISS said that communication with terminal management confirmed the port was not functional.

Dar Es Salaam is the country’s largest port and last year Adani International Ports Holdings (AIPH) signed a 30-year concession agreement to operate Container Terminal 2 (CT2).

The four-berth-CT2, has an annual cargo handling capacity of 1 million teu and handled 820,000 teu in 2023, estimated to be 83% of Tanzania’s total container volumes.

ISS said it did not have updates from Mtwara and Tanga ports in the country. The Tanzania Ports Authority website was down when Seatrade Maritime News checked.

The shipping agent said its staff were unable to access emails or report to the office but phone lines remained operational for voice calls.