Marine Services Company Limited

Last updated

Marine Services Company Limited
Native name
Kampuni ya Huduma za Meli
Formerly TRC Marine Division
Type Parastatal
IndustryShipping, transportation
Founded8 December 1997 (1997-12-08)
Headquarters
Mwanza
,
Tanzania
Number of locations
5
Area served
Key people
Eric B. Hamissi(Ag. GM)
ServicesPassenger and cargo
Total equity TSh 1,000,000/= (nominal value)
Owner Treasury Registrar (100%)
Website www.mscl.go.tz

Marine Services Company Limited (MSCL) is a Tanzanian company that operates ferries, cargo ships and tankers on three of the African Great Lakes, namely Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa. It provides services to neighbouring Burundi, DR Congo, Zambia and Malawi. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Prior to its incorporation in 1997, MSCL was an integral part of the Tanzania Railways Corporation, which was formed in 1977 after the dissolution of the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation. [3] [4]

On 21 May 1996, MV Bukoba capsized while travelling from Bukoba to Mwanza due to overloading. [5] At least 723 people died. [6]

Corporate affairs

MSCL is wholly owned by the Tanzanian Government via the Treasury Registrar and operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Transport. [1] [2] Its share capital consists of 1,000 shares each with a nominal value of TSh  1,000/=. The company's head office is in the northern city of Mwanza at the shores of Lake Victoria. [3] It maintains two branch offices in Kigoma and Kyela; and liaison offices in Dar es Salaam and Kampala. [7]

Services

Passenger services on Lake Tanganyika to neighbouring countries include Mpulungu in Zambia; Bujumbura in Burundi; and Kalemie, Uvira and Baraka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The company also plies on Lake Nyasa between Mbamba Bay in southern Tanzania and Nkhata Bay in Malawi. [3]

Between July 2013 and April 2014, MSCL transported 231,866 passengers and 41,234 tonnes of cargo. [8]

Fleet

Most of its fleet is located on Lake Victoria and includes MV Victoria, the former Royal Mail Ship. MV Liemba (formerly the Imperial German Navy's SMS Graf von Goetzen) was built in 1913 and still operates on Lake Tanganyika. The company's livery appears to be the same as TRC's predecessor, the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation: white hull above the waterline, white superstructure and buff funnel. The hull below the waterline appears to be dark red. [9]

Current

MV Liemba, built in 1913, is the oldest vessel in the fleet. Liemba1.jpg
MV Liemba, built in 1913, is the oldest vessel in the fleet.
MV Victoria, the former Royal Mail Ship, anchored at Bukoba Port. MV Victoria.jpg
MV Victoria, the former Royal Mail Ship, anchored at Bukoba Port.
ShipBuiltRehabilitatedSpeed (kn)PassengersCargo (t)Lake served
MV Butiama 1980–12.5200100Victoria
MV Clarias1961199310.529010Victoria
MV Iringa 19741988101395Nyasa
MV Liemba 1913199310.5600200Tanganyika
ML Maindi193819728–120Victoria
MV Mwongozo 198219921180080Tanganyika
MT Nyangumi195819959–350Victoria
MT Sangara1981–9–350Tanganyika
MV Serengeti 1988–9.5593350Victoria
MV Songea 197419941021240Nyasa
MV Umoja 1964–11–1,200Victoria
MT Ukerewe19381972––740Victoria
MV Victoria 1960198912.51,200200Victoria
ML Wimbi193819728–120Victoria

Future

In 2014, Transport Minister Harrison Mwakyembe informed the Parliament that the government's plan to purchase three new vessels from Denmark had been delayed until June 2015 because of a 163 per cent increase in costs. The acquisition will cost US$74.9 million and construction of the vessels will take three years. He also stated that discussions with the South Korean government are on-going to procure three vessels. [8]

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related Research Articles

Transport in Tanzania includes road, rail, air and maritime networks. The road network is 86,472 kilometres (53,731 mi) long, of which 12,786 kilometres (7,945 mi) is classified as trunk road and 21,105 kilometres (13,114 mi) as regional road. The rail network consists of 3,682 kilometres (2,288 mi) of track. Commuter rail service is in Dar es Salaam only. There are 28 airports, with Julius Nyerere International being the largest and the busiest. Ferries connect Mainland Tanzania with the islands of Zanzibar. Several other ferries are active on the countries' rivers and lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukoba</span> Town in Kagera Region, Tanzania

Bukoba is a city with a population of 128,796, situated in the north west of Tanzania on the south western shores of Lake Victoria. It is the capital of the Kagera region, and the administrative seat for Bukoba Urban District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kagera Region</span> Region of Tanzania

Kagera Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of 35,686 km2 (13,778 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Netherlands. Kagera Region is bordered to the east by Lake Victoria, Mwanza Region and Mara Region. The region is bordered to the south by Geita Region and Kigoma Region. Lastly, Gieta is borders Rwanda to the west, Uganda to the north and Burundi to the south west. The regional capital city is Bukoba. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 2,789,577.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Victoria ferries</span> Ferry service carrying passengers throughout Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria ferries are motor ships for ferry services carrying freight and/or vehicles and/or passengers between Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya on Lake Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Line (Tanzania)</span> Railway line in Tanzania

The Central Line, formerly known as the Tanganyika Railway is the most important railway line in Tanzania, apart from TAZARA. It runs west from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma on Lake Tanganyika via Dodoma. A branch leads to Mwanza on Lake Victoria.

MV Bukoba was a Lake Victoria ferry that carried passengers and cargo between the Tanzanian ports of Bukoba and Mwanza. Bukoba was built in about 1979 and had capacity for 850 tons of cargo and 430 passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mwanza Region</span> Region of Tanzania

Mwanza Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions The regional capital is the city of Mwanza. Mwanza Region is home to Ukerewe Island, the largest lake island in Africa as well as Saanane Island National Park, the smallest national park in Tanzania.

MV Umoja is a Lake Victoria ferry in East Africa. She is a train ferry that Marine Services Company Limited of Mwanza, Tanzania operates between Jinja, Mwanza, Musoma and Kisumu. Umoja means "unity" in Swahili. She has been involved in several accidents and is featured in a book by Paul Theroux.

MV <i>Mwongozo</i>

MV Mwongozo is a mixed passenger and cargo ferry on Lake Tanganyika operated by the Marine Services Company Limited. She can carry up to 800 passengers and 80 tons of cargo. Her accommodation includes open sleeping areas, individual cabins and a passenger dining saloon. She can take cars and small trucks on her forward deck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukoba Airport</span> Airport in Kagera Region, Tanzania

Bukoba Airport is a domestic airport located in the city of Bukoba, the capital of the Kagera Region in northwest Tanzania. It is adjacent to Lake Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania Ports Authority</span> Public corporation in Tanzania

Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is a parastatal public corporation acting under the aegis of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, that has the responsibility "to manage and operate" the ocean ports and lake ports of the country of Tanzania. The Tanzania Ports Authrorty headquarters are located in Kurasini Dar es Salaam. It is a member of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanzania Railways Limited</span>

The Tanzania Railways Corporation(TRC) is a state-owned enterprise that runs one of Tanzania's two main railway networks.

MV <i>Victoria</i> (1959)

MV Victoria is a Lake Victoria ferry operated by the Marine Services Company Limited of Tanzania.

MV Serengeti is a Lake Victoria passenger and cargo ship operated by the Marine Services Company Limited of Mwanza, Tanzania.

MV Butiama is a passenger and cargo vessel which is operated by the Marine Services Company Limited of Tanzania since 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukoba Rural District</span> District in Kagera Region, Tanzania

Bukoba Rural District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Missenyi District, to the east by Lake Victoria and Bukoba Urban District, to the south by Muleba District and to the west by Karagwe District. Its administrative seat is Bukoba town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukoba Urban District</span> District in Kagera Region, Tanzania

Bukoba Urban District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to east by Lake Victoria and to the west by Bukoba Rural District. Its administrative seat is the town of Bukoba.

MV Mwanza is a Lake Victoria ferry operating on Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The ferry is a Ro-Pax ferry that operates between the villages of Kigongo and Busisi south of Mwanza town across the Mwanza Gulf in east-west direction. MV Mwanza is not the only ferry along the route which highlights the relevance of the ferry service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Precision Air Flight 494</span> 2022 crash in Lake Victoria, Tanzania

Precision Air Flight 494 (PW494) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight within Tanzania, from Dar es Salaam International Airport to Bukoba Airport via Mwanza Airport. On 6 November 2022, the ATR 42–500 plane crashed in Lake Victoria while attempting to land at Bukoba during bad weather and low visibility conditions. Nineteen people were killed, including both pilots who drowned before rescue workers could reach them.

References

  1. 1 2 "MoT Affiliation". Ministry of Transport (Tanzania). Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Marine Transport". SUMATRA Consumer Consultative Council. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "MSCL Profile". MSCL. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Taarifa ya Kampuni ya Huduma za Meli – MSCL Kuhusu Maadhimisho ya Miaka 50 ya Uhuru wa Tanzania Bara" [Report of the Marine Services Company on the 50th anniversary of independence of Tanzania Mainland](PDF) (in Swahili). MSCL. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Lake Victoria tragedy". asahi-net.or.jp. 1996. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  6. 1 2 Mulisa, Meddy (12 October 2014). "MV Victoria's engine failure". Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "Contacts". MSCL. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Hotuba ya Waziri Mwakyembe" [Minister Mwakyembe's budget speech](PDF) (in Swahili). Parliament of Tanzania. 2014. p. 43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "MSC Vessels and Capacities". MSCL. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "MELI YA MV VICTORIA YANUSURIKA KUTEKETEA KWA MOTO". Michuzi Blog. February 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  11. ↑ "Panic stricken MV Victoria passengers fail to travel". The Guardian. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.