The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set to enter the shipping business, after obtaining yard spaces in Mombasa and Dar es Salaam.
Officials from Kinshasa have announced that plans are underway to roll out offices for DRC’s new shipping line: The Lignes Maritimes Congolaises (LMC), which will start operations from June.
LMC, the state-owned shipping line mandated with maritime transport and the operation of marine vessels in DRC, is looking to channel more import-export cargo through the Mombasa, and also raise volumes in Dar es Salaam.
The LMC delegation agreed to open an office at the Port of Mombasa to coordinate imports and exports from their country.
The Kinshasa team agreed LCM will be responsible for collecting royalties from shipping lines that carry cargo to and from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
DRC’s new shipping line will also use Tanzanian ports and this could be an added incentive to Dodoma’s latest programme to expand its inland ports. The Dar es Salaam port is currently, handling over 1.8 million tonnes of cargo from the DR Congo per year.
Tanzania exports to the DRC in 2021 were estimated at $207.23 million, according to the Tanzania Embassy in Kinshasa.
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