LINDI: LINDI Regional Commissioner Zainabu Telack has directed a contractor constructing a new ferry for Songosongo Island to ensure the vessel is completed on time and meets the required quality standards to improve transport and spur economic growth.
Ms Telack issued the directive after launching the construction project in Zanzibar, where the contractor, China-based QIRO Group Company Limited, is headquartered.
She said the government is making significant investments in transport infrastructure to improve mobility and stimulate economic development, warning that delays would not be tolerated.
“The contractor must deliver the project on schedule and in accordance with the agreed standards,” she said, stressing that quality workmanship must remain a top priority.
Once completed, the ferry is expected to ease transport between Songosongo Island and Kilwa Kivinje, improve passenger safety and facilitate the movement of goods and services.
Ms Telack noted that Songosongo Island plays a strategic role in Tanzania’s economy and tourism sector, adding that the project will boost business activities and improve the livelihoods of local communities.
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Unguja Urban-West Regional Commissioner Mohammed Ali Abdalla described the ferry as a game changer that will unlock economic and social opportunities in Lindi and Kilwa districts.
TEMESA Director General Engineer Lukombe King’ombe said the agency is supervising the project as part of wider government efforts to expand ferry services across the country.
He revealed that six more ferries are under construction, including one for Mafia Island and five for Lake Victoria, while another 14 ferries are undergoing rehabilitation.
Engineer Lazaro Ezak of the Dar es Salaam Marine Institute said the ferry will measure 28.8 metres in length and eight metres in width and will carry 154 passengers, two light vehicles and up to 10 tonnes of cargo.
The project, valued at 5.76bn/-, is progressing according to approved technical standards.
QIRO Group Director Yang Hao assured the government that the ferry would be delivered on schedule and in full compliance with contractual requirements.