Lake Victoria’s first vessels that transports roll-on roll-off cargo including automobiles, trucks or commercial vehicles has been launched in Uganda.
Named M.V. Mpungu, the vessel is owned and operated by East Aria Marine Transport(EAMT), a joint venture between the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG ) InfraCo Africa and Grindrod Limited.
Roll-on roll-off is method of loading and unloading cargo onto a ship where vehicles, like cars, trucks, or trailers, are driven directly onto the vessel using a ramp, essentially “rolling on” and “rolling off” on their own wheels, rather than being lifted by a crane like in traditional cargo operations; it’s primarily used for wheeled cargo that can move under its own power.
Speaking during the launch at Port Bell in Luzira on Friday, Xolani Mbambo, the CEO of Grindrod said at the heart of the project lies the customer and the communities.
“We are committed to transforming freight transport across Lake Victoria by reducing transit times from days to hours,” Mbambo said.
He said the vessel will for now travel between Port Bell and Mwanza in Tanzania, before adding Kenya.
“We have consistently operated with excellence as MV Mpungu forms the foundation of an efficient logistics network across Lake Victoria. We are therefore excited to create enduring value for our customers in Uganda and Tanzania, facilitating the seamless movement of cargo from origin to destination.”
Gilles Vaes, the PIDG InfraCo chief investment and project development officer said such vessel will further increase the volume of goods that are transported on sea.
“The development of high quality maritime infrastructure such as this vessel and port facilities hold the key to unlocking Lake Victoria vast potential for trade. With Uganda being a land locked country, we hope this vessel is the beginning of an acceleration of trade activity on Lake Victora,” Vaes said.
Officials said the vessel will reduce travel time from Kampala to Mwanza from four days to just 18 hours and on each trip, it will carry 19 trailers.
This will reduce pressure and traffic congestion on Ugandan roads.
The State Minister for Transport, Fred Byamukama could not agree more.
“Uganda being a land linked country , we heavily rely on road transport for the transportation of our imports and exports. This comes along with a number of costs such as high road maintenance costs, environmental costs and related land tariff barrier that have led to increased cost of transportation. There’s also the issue of commemorative examination of goods, which is wasteful, tending to increase costs of doing business. And these increased costs, I must assure you have directly imparted on us,” Byamukama said.
He said with the coming of MV Mpungu on board, all these costs, on top of transport time have been dealt with.
President Museveni in a speech read by the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja hailed the owners of the vessel, noting that “ it is subversive for any leader not to support investors like the owners of MV Mpungu.”
He described the launch of the vessel as being timely in linking Uganda to other East African and African markets.
“For vehicles to drive from Mwanza they must travel on congested road for three of four days and fresh produce might get spoilt. Also, by using roads, the cost for traders and producers is prohibitively high. With the coming of MV Mpungu, all these will be done away with,” Museveni said.
He said the vessel will spur trade between Uganda and the other countries.
“This project will also have other lasting benefits for the Ugandan economy. This vessel was built at Entebbe leading to employment of over 160 Ugandans skilled in trades such as steel cutting, wielding, engineering and electrical services.”
He said the project is a great milestone for the East African region.
“This vessel is a milestone for East Africa, advancing our trade and environmental priorities while strengthening regional ties. My thanks to everyone who brought this project to life.”
