Zambia, Tanzania seal monthly fuel offloading deal at Dar es Salaam port

Government says Zambia and Tanzania have agreed on a structured operational arrangement to ensure predictability and reliability in Zambia’s petroleum supply chain through the guaranteed monthly offloading of one fuel vessel at the Port of Dar es Salaam

Ministry of Energy Principal Public Relations Officer, Bob Sianjalika, said under the the new arrangement, a fuel vessel carrying more than 100,000 metric tonnes will be berthed and offloaded between the 15th and 25th of each month.

He said Tanzania Port Authority (TPA) will oversee the timely offloading of the cargo, a measure expected to stabilise vessel scheduling and support uninterrupted petroleum supply to Zambia.

This is according to a statement issued in Lusaka on Friday.

Sianjalika said the agreement was jointly announced in Dar es Salaam by Tanzania’s Minister of Energy, Deogratius Ndejembi, and Zambia’s Minister of Energy, Makozo Chikote, following high-level technical engagements involving Permanent Secretaries and technical teams from both countries.

The two ministers stressed the need for strict adherence to the operational decisions, noting that effective coordination and discipline among institutions responsible for implementation will be key to sustaining reliable petroleum logistics.

Ndejembi said the measures agreed upon would enhance the security and efficiency of diesel supply for Zambia. He added that the two countries also discussed additional bilateral matters within the energy sector.

He emphasised the importance of strengthening longstanding ties between Zambia and Tanzania and expanding cooperation into other energy sub-sectors such as electricity and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

Meanwhile, Chikote thanked Tanzania for its continued cooperation, saying the new arrangement underscores the strong bilateral partnership between the two nations and their shared commitment to regional energy security.

“Currently, Zambia transports over 85 percent of its diesel requirements under the Petroleum Access Policy Framework through the TAZAMA Oil Pipeline, with the fuel offloaded at the Dar es Salaam port,” he said.

Chikote noted that the agreement built on the historic TAZAMA Pipeline, jointly owned by Zambia and Tanzania, which for decades had served as a vital petroleum transportation corridor.

Constructed in the late 1960s to secure fuel supply routes for landlocked Zambia, the pipeline stretches approximately 1,710 kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Ndola, underscoring Tanzania’s strategic role as the country’s main petroleum import gateway.

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