Blue Economy
Tanzania Commissions Africa’s Largest Freshwater Vessel, MV New Mwanza, to Reshape Lake Victoria Trade
Tanzania Commissions Africa’s Largest Freshwater Vessel, MV New Mwanza, to Reshape Lake Victoria Trade
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Research Reporter, Waterways News
Tanzania has taken a historic step in Africa’s inland waterways sector with the commissioning of the MV New Mwanza — the biggest inland freshwater passenger and Ro-Pax ship in Africa — officially launched on January 23, 2026, at the port of Mwanza on Lake Victoria.
The vessel was commissioned during a ceremony led by Prime Minister Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba and attended by Minister of Works and Transport Prof. Makame Mbarawa, senior government officials, and regional leaders.
The MV New Mwanza can carry 1,200 passengers and 400 tonnes of cargo, including heavy trucks and light vehicles, significantly expanding capacity for both commercial logistics and passenger transport. Measuring 92.6 metres in length and 17 metres wide, the ship is nearly the size of a football pitch and stands as tall as a four-storey building.
Built at a cost of approximately $51.8 million, construction of the vessel commenced in 2019, spearheaded by two South Korean companies, Gas Entec and KangNam Corporation, with local input from Tanzanian construction firm Songoro Marine Transport.
Tashico Chief Executive Officer Eric Hamissi said the construction went beyond delivering a modern vessel and helped build local technical capacity, providing hands-on training for Tanzanians in areas such as design, hull assembly, launching, and trial voyages.
In total, 2,000 locals received formal training under South Korean engineers during the construction period
The ship’s specifications are remarkable by any standard. With a top speed of 16 knots, the vessel is expected to cut travel time between Mwanza and Bukoba — which previously took eight to ten hours — to roughly six to seven hours. It has four decks and is integrated with Tanzania’s recently developed Standard Gauge Railway, meaning cargo arriving at Dar es Salaam Port can be transported directly to Mwanza by rail and loaded onto the ship, creating a seamless supply chain corridor to landlocked Uganda and Rwanda.
The ship will serve key routes connecting Tanzanian ports such as Mwanza, Bukoba, and Musoma with Uganda’s Port Bell and Jinja, as well as Kenya’s Kisumu port.
On trade economics, the impact is potentially transformative. Ferrying fuel to Uganda by water could cost as low as $25 per cubic meter, compared to over $40 by road, according to government estimates.
Transport Minister Prof. Makame Mbarawa assured passengers and traders that affordability and safety would remain central to operations, with Tashico ensuring reliable schedules, passenger safety, maintenance, cleanliness, and professional staff. The ship is equipped with advanced facilities including a passenger lift, an onboard medical clinic, special seating for pregnant and breastfeeding passengers, air conditioning, and waste management systems.
Tanzania has also indicated that skills gained during the construction of MV New Mwanza will be applied to other shipbuilding projects, including vessels earmarked to serve on Lake Tanganyika, linking the country with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Zambia
Prime Minister Nchemba described the vessel as a symbol of Tanzania’s industrial and technical capability, stating that Lake Victoria connects regional economies and that the ship should “support trade, promote economic diplomacy, and strengthen cooperation with our neighbours.”
For a continent where inland waterways remain largely underutilised, the MV New Mwanza signals a new direction — one where African nations invest in their own blue economy infrastructure to drive regional integration and sustainable commerce.
NIMASA Receives Over 60 CVFF Applications, Vows Open and Accountable Disbursement
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has disclosed that it has received more than 60 applications for the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), a development that signals fresh momentum in the push to strengthen indigenous participation in Nigeria’s shipping sector.
The agency equally assured stakeholders that the disbursement of the fund would be handled transparently, with strict accountability measures guiding every step of the process.
The disclosure came on Thursday in Lagos, during the signing of the 2026 Performance Bond between NIMASA’s Director-General, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola.
At the event, Minister Oyetola left no room for ambiguity, issuing a pointed directive to heads of agencies under his ministry to focus on results and shun complacency.
“Let me emphasise that all Departments and Agencies under the Ministry must remain firmly focused on delivering tangible results,” the Minister stated.
He further stressed that the performance bonds carry real weight, describing them as binding commitments subject to close monitoring and rigorous evaluation — not documents to be signed and shelved.
“These are not ceremonial documents. They are binding commitments. Accountability will not be optional,” Oyetola declared.
Speaking after the signing, Director-General Mobereola said the reforms being pursued at NIMASA are deliberate and are being driven with strong backing from the Ministry, adding that the agency remains firmly aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
On maritime security, Mobereola highlighted a landmark achievement: Nigeria has recorded zero piracy incidents in its territorial waters over the past four years. He attributed this record to enhanced surveillance systems and improved collaboration among security agencies.
The NIMASA chief also announced that the agency is close to completing the automation of its ship registry processes — a reform expected to eliminate administrative delays, speed up turnaround times, and sharpen Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global maritime industry.
Additionally, Mobereola noted that Nigeria has deposited three maritime conventions with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with three more pending Federal Executive Council approval. He also highlighted Nigeria’s re-election into Category C of the IMO Council in November 2025 as a milestone that restores the country’s standing in global maritime governance and reinforces its leadership role on the African continent.
Waterways News | www.waterwaysnews.ng
Oyetola Orders NSC Probe into Alleged Plot to Squeeze Out Local Barge Operators
Minister vows zero tolerance for anti-competitive behaviour as indigenous operators cry foul over foreign interference at Nigerian seaports
By Oghenewoke Onoriode|Waterways News Correspondent, LAGOS
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, has ordered the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to investigate allegations that a coordinated effort is underway to push indigenous barge operators out of Nigeria’s seaport logistics chain.
The directive came during the 2026 First Quarter Citizens/Stakeholders’ Engagement, Sectoral Performance Review, and Ministerial Management Retreat of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, held in Lagos on Thursday.
Operators Raise the Alarm
Representatives of local barge operators used the platform to allege that certain foreign interests are engaged in a deliberate campaign to undermine their operations. They told the Minister that policies, operational bottlenecks, and preferential treatment allegedly extended to foreign-linked entities by some terminal operators are tilting the competitive landscape against Nigerian businesses.
The operators warned that if left unaddressed, the situation could erode local capacity and destabilise Nigeria’s maritime logistics ecosystem.
NSC Given the Mandate
Responding to the allegations, Dr Oyetola reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to protecting local investments and ensuring a level playing field in the maritime sector. He directed the NSC — in its capacity as port economic regulator — to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the claims.
The Minister was unequivocal: any anti-competitive behaviour or policy inconsistency that disadvantages Nigerian businesses would not be tolerated.
Engagement as Policy Tool
Dr Oyetola also used the occasion to underscore the importance of regular stakeholder engagement in driving effective sectoral governance. He noted that the government remains firmly focused on developing the marine and blue economy as a pillar of national growth, employment generation, and sustainable development.
Nigeria Watch
The allegations against terminal operators echo long-standing concerns in the Nigerian maritime industry about the marginalisation of indigenous players in port operations. Local barge operators form a critical link in Nigeria’s cargo evacuation chain — particularly at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports — and their displacement would deepen the country’s dependence on foreign logistics providers.
The NSC’s mandate as port economic regulator makes it the appropriate body to probe these claims. However, the effectiveness of the investigation will depend on the Council’s willingness to act on its findings — including, where necessary, imposing sanctions on terminal operators found to have violated fair competition principles.
For the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Thursday’s engagement signals a more assertive posture on indigenous content in maritime logistics — one that stakeholders will be watching closely.
Waterways News — Covering Nigeria’s Maritime, Shipping and Blue Economy Sector
Blue Economy
Tinubu Approves Cargo Tracking Scheme That Could Save Nigeria N900bn in Lost Import Revenue
Tinubu Approves Cargo Tracking Scheme That Could Save Nigeria N900bn in Lost Import Revenue
Presidential approval secured for ICTN as Nigerian Shippers’ Council begins procurement; scheme expected to go live before year-end
By Emetena Ikuku, Lagos
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the full implementation of the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN), a flagship initiative of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) designed to plug revenue leakages in the country’s import trade and strengthen regulatory oversight of inbound cargo.
The approval, confirmed at a stakeholders’ engagement convened by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in Lagos, ends months of uncertainty over the scheme’s future and sets the stage for what industry analysts say could be one of the most consequential reforms in Nigeria’s maritime sector in recent years.
What the ICTN Does
The ICTN is a real-time, online cargo tracking system that monitors the movement of inbound shipments from origin to destination. Beyond logistics visibility, it is designed to function as an economic intelligence tool — capturing import data that can be used to close gaps in revenue declaration and combat under-invoicing.
Industry projections suggest the system could help Nigeria recover up to N900 billion annually in import revenue currently lost to leakages — a figure that underscores the commercial stakes of getting the rollout right.
Procurement Underway
Pius Akutah, Executive Secretary and CEO of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, confirmed to stakeholders that presidential approval had been secured and that procurement processes were already in motion. He expressed confidence that the ICTN would become operational before the end of the year.
Akutah acknowledged that previous implementation attempts had been suspended due to unresolved operational challenges, but said the Council had drawn lessons from those setbacks.
He noted that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, is personally committed to ensuring a seamless rollout, with the ministry taking deliberate steps to resolve all outstanding issues before the scheme goes live.
Nigeria Watch
The ICTN revival is significant beyond its revenue implications. For years, Nigerian freight forwarders, cargo agents, and port operators have operated in an environment where cargo data is fragmented and often unreliable — creating fertile ground for manifest fraud, valuation disputes, and customs evasion.
A fully operational ICTN would give the NSC, the Nigeria Customs Service, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) access to a unified cargo data stream, potentially transforming how import risk is assessed at Apapa, Tin Can Island, and the emerging Lekki Deep Sea Port.
For the broader blue economy agenda being championed by Minister Oyetola, real-time cargo intelligence also supports Nigeria’s ambitions to position its ports as West Africa’s premier logistics hub — a goal that requires the kind of regulatory credibility the ICTN is designed to provide.
Stakeholders will be watching the procurement timeline closely. The scheme has been suspended before, and the maritime industry’s confidence in its delivery will depend on whether the ministry can demonstrate tangible progress before the year runs out.
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