Central Corridor: Dar es Salaam to Kigali
- Dar es Salaam to Kigali transit time, 2023
- 4.1 days, about 98 hours 3
- Transport cost per container, Dar es Salaam to Kigali, 2023
- US$3,480 for a 22 to 27 tonne container 3
- Transit container dwell time at TPA, 2023
- 8.5 days 3
- Tariff in force
- Tanzania Ports Authority Tariff Book, Sea Ports, January 2026 1
- Wharfage, transit full container imports
- US$90 up to 20 ft, US$180 over 20 ft 1
- Free storage, transit full container imports
- First 15 days 1
The corridor
The Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agreement was signed on 2 September 2006 by Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. It was amended on 1 December 2023 to bring in Malawi and Zambia. The agency's secretariat opened in Dar es Salaam in July 2010 4.
Imports discharged at Dar es Salaam for Rwanda were about 1.63 million tonnes in 2023, up from 1.46 million tonnes in 2022. Rwanda took 8.9% of import cargo in 2023 3.
Tanzania Ports Authority charges for transit containers
The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Tariff Book for sea ports is dated January 2026. It is made under section 73(1)(a) of the Ports Act Cap. 166 and takes effect as set out in Government Gazette No. 3 of 2026 1. The tariff book is published on the TPA website 2. Selected container items, in US dollars per container 1:
| Item (clause) | Up to 20 ft | Over 20 ft |
|---|---|---|
| Stevedoring, full container, charged to the carrier (11.1(a)) 1 | US$100 1 | US$150 1 |
| Shore handling, transit full container (14.2.2) 1 | US$80 1 | US$120 1 |
| Wharfage, transit full container imports (12.4(a)) 1 | US$90 1 | US$180 1 |
| Wharfage, transit full container exports (12.4(b)) 1 | US$75 1 | US$150 1 |
| Green Port Initiatives charge (15.1(b)(i)) 1 | US$50 1 | US$100 1 |
| Removal, full container (20.2(b)(i)) 1 | US$100 1 | US$150 1 |
Free storage days
- Transit full container imports at Dar es Salaam: first 15 days free, then US$20 or US$40 a day for days 16 to 21, then US$40 or US$80 a day 1.
- Transit full container exports: first 21 days free, then US$16 or US$32 a day until shipment 1.
- Transit cargo at Kwala inland container depot: 60 days free, then US$20 or US$40 a day for days 61 to 74, then US$40 or US$80 a day 1.
- Maersk gives 30 days of free time for dry containers in transit to Rwanda, and 21 days for reefers 8.
Transit times, dwell times and cost
The Central Corridor Transport Observatory report for 2023 puts the average Dar es Salaam to Kigali transit time at 4.1 days, about 98 hours, compared with 4.04 days in 2022 3. Ship turnaround at Dar es Salaam was 9.2 days in 2023, down from 10.0 days in 2022 3.
Moving a 22 to 27 tonne container from Dar es Salaam to Kigali cost US$3,480 in 2023 3. The report gives the 2022 cost as US$3,490 in one table and US$3,492 in another 3.
Road user charges and transit bond
Tanzania charges transit trucks US$10 per 100 km, according to a complaint filed on the Tripartite non-tariff barrier reporting system 5. A second complaint says Tanzania charged US$16 per 100 km for vehicles over three axles and US$6 for vehicles up to three axles before the 18th Sectoral Council on Transport, Communications and Meteorology, then cut the higher rate to US$10 6.
Rwanda charges US$270 from Rusumo to Kigali, according to a complaint Tanzania filed in March 2024. A later update to the 36th Regional Monitoring Committee gives the charge as US$70 5. The 46th Council directed partner states to keep the status quo on road user charges until a harmonisation study is finished 5,6.
Tanzania and Rwanda were fully operational in the COMESA RCTG Carnet regional transit bond in 2022 7.
The 2026 tariff change
TPA said its revised charges took effect on 9 January 2026 and raised port service fees by between 2 and 15 percent, as reported by Anthony Kitimo in The East African 9. The tariff book itself says it takes effect as set out in Government Gazette No. 3 of 2026 1.
Common questions
How long does cargo take from Dar es Salaam to Kigali?
The average road transit time was 4.1 days in 2023, according to the Central Corridor Transport Observatory 3.
How much does it cost to truck a container from Dar es Salaam to Kigali?
The observatory gives US$3,480 per 22 to 27 tonne container for 2023 3.
How many free storage days do transit containers get at Dar es Salaam?
Transit full container imports get the first 15 days free under the January 2026 TPA tariff 1.
What road user charge does Tanzania levy on transit trucks?
US$10 per 100 km, according to complaints on the Tripartite reporting system 5,6.
Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the official link.
Sources
- Tanzania Ports Authority: Tariff Book, Sea Ports (January 2026)
- Tanzania Ports Authority: Sea Port Tariff Book page (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency: Central Corridor Transport Observatory annual performance monitoring report 2023 (May 2024)
- Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency: Overview (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Tripartite Non-Tariff Barriers Reporting, Monitoring and Eliminating Mechanism: Complaint NTB-001-156, Rwanda road user charge (last updated 29 April 2024)
- Tripartite Non-Tariff Barriers Reporting, Monitoring and Eliminating Mechanism: Complaint NTB-001-169, Burundi road user charge (last updated 6 May 2026)
- COMESA: RCTG Carnet presentation, WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement database (16 June 2023)
- Maersk, provider page: Shipping to and from Tanzania, import information (accessed 20 October 2026)
- The East African: Traders brace for higher costs as Tanzania joins Kenya in raising port tariffs, by Anthony Kitimo (17 February 2026)
Related
- Shipping line container deposits in East Africa
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- Northern Corridor: Mombasa to Juba
Distances, transit times, port dwell time, published charges and the transit bond for trucks moving cargo from Mombasa to Juba via Kampala.
- Port charges at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam
Selected published container charges at Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, with the date of each tariff and where to read it.