The largest cruise ship in Tanzania history to ever dock at Dar es Salaam port, MV Norwegian Dawn, with more than 2,000 tourists from European countries has arrived at Dar es Salaam port for tourists to visit different tourism sites in the country.
Speaking immediately after the arrival of the ship, January 16, 2023 the director of the port of Dar es Salaam, Mrisho Mrisho said that the ship capacity is to carry 4700 people, but has arrived with 2,210 tourists, and 1,011members of crew on board, and that it was a big event as no such big ship had anchored at the port ever since, and that the improvements made especially in the dredging work to expand the wildth and depth of the port, has made it possible.
Thanks to the Dar es salaam Maritime Gateway Project( DMGP).
“For the port of Dar es Salaam, this is the first long ship of its size to be able to enter the port and this is the result of the improvements made in deep drilling but also expansion of the port, for this we are very proud and grateful to the government,” said Mrisho.
He said that the ship has taken the place of three ships that they serve every day, in gate number 2 and 3.
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The ship, 294 metres long, has a maximum capacity of 2,340 passengers was launched in 2002 at a cost of over $450 million. It received a multi-million-dollar refurbishment in 2016.
The Chief Captain of the National Port Authority (TPA), Abdula Mwingamno has said that by improving the ship entrance will help bring the port of Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Mtwara into commercial competition.
Tourism is currently Tanzania’s leading foreign exchange earner after revenue increased by 37.5 per cent to $3.3 billion in the 12 months ending November 2022.
In the same period, tourst arrivalsrose by 27 percent to 1.797 million according to Bank of Tanzania.
By Mutayoba Arbogast
