The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) in conjunction with Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) have signed a contract with Delta Energy Zambia Limited to transport 5 to 6 million litres (5,000 – 6,000 metric tons) of petroleum from Tanzania to Zambia every month.
The new contract comes in the wake of the regulation passed in Zambia under Statutory Instrument No.7 of 2018, requiring 30% of selected bulky commodities to be transported by rail as opposed to road.
Both the Chief Executive Officers of TAZARA and ZRL, Mr Bruno Ching’andu and Mr Christopher Musonda, respectively, signed the contract together with the Managing Director for Delta Energy Zambia, Mr Sairam Subramanam, at a ceremony in Lusaka on Wednesday 14th August 2019.
Mr Ching’andu welcomed the development as a good opportunity for TAZARA to demonstrate its capability to deliver another type of traffic by rail.
“This is another area where we have competitive advantage and it will be good for us to demonstrate our capability to move bulk liquids safely and cost effectively.
“We are, therefore, delighted to get this opportunity and are looking forward to getting down to work as quickly as possible,” Mr Ching’andu said.
The three-month trial runs for the petroleum contract will begin on 1st September 2019, with the petroleum being hauled all the way from the Port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Ndola, Zambia.
TANZANIA-ZAMBIA RAILWAY AUTHORITY
Issued by:
Conrad K Simuchile
Head Public Relations
Email: hpr@tazarasite.com
WhatsApp: +255767803074