The heavy-duty self-propelled suction dredger "Tongxu", independently designed and invested in China, is undergoing dredging operations in the port of Dar es Salaam.
Photo by Bian Liang. 
Project staff replace navigation lights at Ma**be Island.
Photo by Guo Cuncang. Located on the west coast of the Indian Ocean, the Port of Dar es Salaam is known as the "gateway port" of Tanzania and is an important logistics center and hub in East Africa. On August 27, 2021, the dredging project of the Dar es Salaam port channel undertaken by China Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. officially started, which is a key project of the "Belt and Road" jointly built by the two countries. After more than two years, the project has entered the final stage. On the eve of the Spring Festival, the reporter of this newspaper went to the project site for an interview, felt the enthusiasm of the builders of the two countries to participate in the construction of the "Belt and Road", and understood the importance of the project to local development.
"Helping ports achieve leapfrog development".
In the northeast corner of Dar es Salaam Harbour, Ma**be Island is lush and green. A 40-meter-high beacon lighthouse stands in the northern part of the island. The staff of China and Tanzania are working together to remove the old navigation lights on the lighthouse and replace them with new ones.
The old buoy lights were in disrepair, and the color of the lights and the range of the signal were affected, which in turn affected the normal entry of ships. Saleh, the project site coordinator, worked with his colleagues to install the new navigation lights and debug the lights, circuits, etc. on site. The signal was sent out accurately, and the navigation lights on Ma**be Island were installed. Similar replacements need to be carried out in areas such as container yards, the south side of the approach channel, and berth 1.
The dredging project of the port of Dar es Salaam includes the dredging of the channel in the harbor basin, the salvage of shipwrecks, and the procurement and installation of navigation aids, of which the total amount of dredging is 10.93 million cubic meters. According to Bian Liang, the person in charge of the project, the widening, deepening and dredging of the port channel have been completed, and the installation and commissioning of land lighthouses and navigation lights are being carried out.
Due to the fact that the waterway has not been maintained and cleaned for many years and the seabed is silted, the channel of Dar es Salaam can no longer meet the needs of economic development in Tanzania and regional countries. "After the completion of the dredging project, the water depth of the channel of Dar es Salaam Port will be increased from 13 meters to 16 meters, and combined with the first phase of the terminal reconstruction and expansion project, it can meet the all-weather berthing operations of 70,000-ton ships, further improving the port's throughput and comprehensive service capacity. Bian Liang said.
The lunar month of the Chinese lunar calendar is the sprint stage for the completion of the project. "At 7 o'clock in the morning every day, all the dredging project staff have a collective morning meeting to arrange the specific work of the day and formulate an emergency plan for emergencies that may occur in the process. Chen Jingli, the on-site construction manager, said that the builders are racing against time to improve the local infrastructure and contribute to the economic and social development of Tanzania.
Forguwa, the on-site consultant of the Dar es Salaam Port channel dredging project of the Tanzania Port Authority, said that the Port of Dar es Salaam is an important support for Tanzania's economic development, as well as an important logistics center and hub in East Africa. After the completion of the project, it will significantly enhance the overall freight capacity, port function and competitive advantage of the port, further enhance the level of opening up of Tanzania and East Africa, and promote the economic development of neighboring countries. "Our cooperation with Chinese companies is happy and smooth. The project will strengthen the Port of Dar es Salaam's status as a regional shipping hub and help the port grow by leaps and bounds. ”
"Promote the conservation of ecological environment and marine biodiversity".
When the rake suction dredger "Tongxu" carries out dredging operations, measures such as laying oil booms in the construction area and dynamically adjusting the height of overflow barrels are adopted to reduce the impact of operations on the marine environment; In areas with uneven mud layer thickness, the construction process is optimized and the normal activity ...... of marine organisms is ensured by flexibly adjusting the angle of the movable hood and the depth of the rake headDuring the dredging process, the project team took a number of steps to minimise the environmental impact of the construction.
Protecting marine biodiversity is a top priority for the construction. In the construction area and the surrounding sensitive marine waters, the project team regularly carried out marine water quality monitoring and sampling work, covering air quality, noise levels, marine water quality, seabed sediments and marine plankton, etc., and prepared an environmental assessment report to ensure that the impact of the construction work on the livelihood of local fishermen was minimized. "Seven underwater records show a 15% increase in the number of live corals in the construction area and surrounding waters compared to before construction. Guo Zhenchuan, director of project safety, said.
Avaco from the World Bank is the environmental engineer for the project. He has been involved in the supervision of the dredging project of the Dar es Salaam channel since the start of the project, and he has been deeply impressed by the high standards and strict environmental practices of the Chinese team. In his view, the advanced equipment and technical capabilities of Chinese enterprises ensure the green environmental protection of the construction process, "promote the protection of the ecological environment and marine biodiversity, and practice the concept of sustainable development".
Youssef, 52, is a fisherman near the port of Dar es Salaam and a member of the local fisheries association. Until then, he and other fishermen had been fishing in primitive ways. In order to raise awareness of scientific fishing, the project team regularly organizes popular science lectures for them. "The project has helped us a lot by giving us modern fishing gear and marine safety supplies. Now we don't use dense mesh nets anymore, so that the small fish have more opportunities to grow. Yusuf said.
World Bank Representative to Tanzania Abdullah, who has visited the project site several times, said that Chinese companies not only promote the construction of the project with high quality, but also pay attention to the employment, environment, people's livelihood and education of local communities, "demonstrating the responsibility and responsibility of Chinese enterprises".
"I am very much looking forward to spending the Chinese New Year with my Chinese colleagues".
After the installation of the lights, Saleh went non-stop to the owner's office on the port side of Dar es Salaam to coordinate the installation and follow-up of other maritime navigation aids.
Saleh has been working on the dredging project of the channel in the port of Dar es Salaam for two years. Before graduating, he studied Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania. Because he likes traditional Chinese culture and ancient poetry, he gave himself the Chinese name "Li Bai". When he first joined the project in 2022, he was just an on-site translator, but now he is a "generalist", responsible for coordinating communication, on-site environmental protection operations, and managing local personnel.
Saleh said that his Chinese colleagues are "like brothers and teachers" and "guide me and help me until I am familiar with all the work." It's the best team I've ever worked with." Saleh has been recognized by the Tanzania Ports Authority for his outstanding performance and will continue to work for the Port Authority after the project ends.
Despite the high intensity of work, everyone's work state is positive and high-spirited, and a deep friendship has been formed between Sino-Tanzania employees. The 49-year-old has been working in Tanzania for five years and will spend his fifth Chinese New Year overseas this year.
Among the ancient poems describing the Spring Festival, Saleh likes "Yuan Ri" the most. He said: The Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China, inheriting the concept of peace, harmony and harmony of Chinese civilization. "Learning Chinese not only allowed me to learn a beautiful language, but also allowed me to understand China's long history and culture. ”
This Spring Festival, Sino-Tanzania employees will jointly hold activities such as guessing lantern riddles and pasting Spring Festival couplets. "We are very much looking forward to spending the Chinese New Year with our Chinese colleagues! Saleh said that although everyone comes from different countries, the Spring Festival has become a festival in the world. "We will send our best wishes to each other and celebrate this festive and renewing festival together. ”
DAR es Salaam, Feb. 5).