Tanzania Seafarers To Start Exploration of Oil and Gas in Deep and Shallow water

The move comes after the accomplishment of all legal procedures and fulfillment of sailor’s demands such as health insurance and working contracts to companies that they will be working with.

Speaking in Dar es Salaam, the TSC Chairman, Mr Frank Chuma said that they have reached agreement with the government on the fulfillment of important requirements that are needed by seafarers.

He said next process shall be signing contracts between the Community and Tanzania Petroleum and Gas Development Corporation (TPDC). “We are happy that everything went smoothly in accordance to expectations although it took three years until the accomplishment. We are now ready to work anywhere within and outside the country,” he said.

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“The TSC concern was to see local sailors benefit from opportunities that shall be found in their homeland,” he added. He said the move shall reduce unemployment rate for local seafarers who are about 5,000 country wide, as they are now going to be attached to both foreign and local companies that are associated to the oil and gas exploration sector.

“In accordance with Tanzania shipping business laws, for a sailor to go to the sea he/she must have insurance. We therefore recommend the remarkable contribution by the finance ministry,” he said.

He added that the issue of employment is a major problem for sailors something which pushed them to have number of consultation meeting with different stakeholders including China embassy, Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), TPDC and the Ministry of finance.

He said, the Chinese Embassy has agreed to cooperate with them in fishery, oil and gas as well as other related activities and they are ready to bring their gears to help revive the activities in the country.

For his part, the renowned maritime instructor Mr Charles Chagula, urged the sailors to work hard once being attached to the companies as a way to prove their capacity and morality.

“We have reached the ultimatum of what we have been fighting for the past three years, it is our turn now to work hard and ensure effective delivery of our profession to the public,” he said.