Africa Surveyors January-February issue 2023 digital
Africa Surveyors is Africa’s premier source of Surveying, Mapping and Geospatial news and an envoy of surveying products/service for the Construction, Maritime, Onshore & Offshore energy and exploration, Engineering, Oil and Gas, Agricultural and Mining sectors on new solution based trends and technology for the African market. Africa Surveyors is Africa’s premier source of Surveying, Mapping and Geospatial news and an envoy of surveying products/service for the Construction, Maritime, Onshore & Offshore energy and exploration, Engineering, Oil and Gas, Agricultural and Mining sectors on new solution based trends and technology for the African market.
ENGINEERINGChinese JV awarded final section of$2.2B Tanzania Rail ProjectBy Shem OirereAChinese joint venture has won asecond contract in under three yearsto construct the sixth phase and finalportion of a 2,561-km standard gauge railway(SGR) line in East Africa over the next fouryears.China Civil Engineering ConstructionCorporation and China Railway ConstructionCorporation will build the 506 km lineconnecting the towns of Tabora and Kigoma.The $2.2 billion project is comprised of 411km of main line, 95 km of branch lines, 10railway stations and two large freight yards.Denmark-based engineer COWI A/S waspreviously picked as preferred designer of theTabora-Kigoma phase of the SGR line project.As in the previous five phases, the Tabora-Kigoma phase is being constructed alongsideTanzania’s existing 2,725.5-km meter-gaugerailway track, reducing the need to establishright-of-way.Contracts for five earlier phases of the SGRline have been awarded to Turkish andPortuguese contractors. The Tanzanian SGRline will link landlocked countries of Rwanda,Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) to the Indian Ocean port city of Dar esSalaam. The SGR line, once fully operational,would reduce cargo transportation costsbetween Dar es Salaam and the landlockedcountries from $6,000 per metric ton to$4,000 per metric ton. Transportation time isalso expected to drop drastically from 30 daysto 30 hours by 2027.In January 2021 China Civil EngineeringPhoto CourtesyThe agreement for construction of the latest segment of the railway was signed in lateDecember between representatives of the Tanzanian government and China Civil EngineeringConstruction Corp. Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan witnessed the signing (seated,center). Photo Courtesy CCECCConstruction Corporation and China RailwayConstruction Corporation signed anothercontract for the construction of the fifth phaseof the SGR line, approximately 249-km long,connecting the town of Isaka to Mwanza, thesecond-largest city in Tanzania. The contractaward coincided with Tanzania’s securing a$1.32 billion loan to finance this phase of theSGR line.The SGR line is designed with a lifespan of100 years, and can handle axle loads of 35metric tons and a design speed of 160 KPH(99 MPH) for passenger trains and 120 KPH(74 MPH) for freight trains. Initially, 24 trains,with maximum length of 2 km, will travel the2,561-km electrified SGR line.The SGR will use UIC 60-type rail on prestressed,mono-block concrete. According tothe Tanzania Railway Corporation, the SGRline’s “horizontal curves will be designed toaccount for the relatively higher speed of thenew train.”The SGR line is being laid with 2.6-m-longsleepers that are spaced 600-mm apart.The is also utilizing 2.5 cu meters of ballastfor every meter laid. The ballast’s thicknessand shoulder width has been designedat maximum of 300 mm and 400 mmrespectively.The rails will be fastened using the elastic railfastening-anti vandal system while the trackwill have continuously welded joined usingthe flush-butt method.“This Tabora-Kigoma railway will open upTanzania and connect it with DemocraticRepublic of Congo where there is a lot ofcargo that needs to be transported throughour [Dar es Salaam] port,” said Tanzania’sPresident Samia Suluhu Hassan during thesigning of the contract in December 2022.Tanzania is expected to finance the projectthrough equity and commercial loans. Withthe contract award for the Tabora-Kigomasection, the total investment in the entireSGR line project in Tanzania has now risen to$10.4 billion.“I know our critics blame us for taking upthese loans, but they must understand thata better infrastructure is key to drivinggrowth in our country and making Tanzaniacompetitive at the regional level,” saidPresident Samia Suluhu Hassan in December2022.12 January-February issue l 2023 www.africasurveyorsonline.com
OIL AND GASNigeria and Senegal signMoU on local content inSenegal's oil and gasindustryBy Chinedu OkaforThe Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board, a federalgovernment body, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Senegal's National Local Content Monitoring Agencyto strengthen local content in Senegal's oil and gas industry.The signing, which took place on Tuesday at the 7th Sub-SaharanAfrica International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference in Lagos,followed Senegal's preparations for its first oil and gas productionbefore the end of the year.This report is courtesy of the Punch NG, a Nigerian news agency.Senegal's envoy, Deputy Permanent Secretary, COS Petrogaz,Republic of Senegal, Mamadou Fall Kane, said that Senegal hadmuch to learn from Nigeria, which had achieved 54% local contentof a 70% target by 2027.“I conceived this partnership framework with the NCDMB for thepast year, and it is very fulfilling that this event is holding today.With the signing of this collaboration, Senegal has a lot to learnfrom Nigeria on how to deepen its local content target. This wouldgo a long way to benefit all Senegalese as the country movestowards developing our natural resources”, he stated.Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, emphasizedthat the cooperation was not just to enhance local contentin Senegal, but also a business-to-business partnership andcapacity building in Senegal.Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian NationalPetroleum Company Limited, urged collaboration among Africancountries to make additional hydrocarbon discoveries on thecontinent in his Keynote presentation.“In the next twenty years, energy demand in Africa is expectedto increase in the order of 30-35% to support the projectedincrease in population and industrialization. This presents anenormous opportunity for us to form partnerships across thecontinent and build a sustainable future,” Mele Kyari said.“The need for partnership is reinforced as more Africancountries continue to make hydrocarbon discoveries. Weshould collaborate and share knowledge and help eachother in critical areas including technology, exploration andproduction, research and development, technical expertise, andhuman capacity development to spread the wealth within thecontinent,” he added.Image: courtesywww.africasurveyorsonline.comJanuary-February issue l 2023 13
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ENGINEERING
Chinese JV awarded final section of
$2.2B Tanzania Rail Project
By Shem Oirere
A
Chinese joint venture has won a
second contract in under three years
to construct the sixth phase and final
portion of a 2,561-km standard gauge railway
(SGR) line in East Africa over the next four
years.
China Civil Engineering Construction
Corporation and China Railway Construction
Corporation will build the 506 km line
connecting the towns of Tabora and Kigoma.
The $2.2 billion project is comprised of 411
km of main line, 95 km of branch lines, 10
railway stations and two large freight yards.
Denmark-based engineer COWI A/S was
previously picked as preferred designer of the
Tabora-Kigoma phase of the SGR line project.
As in the previous five phases, the Tabora-
Kigoma phase is being constructed alongside
Tanzania’s existing 2,725.5-km meter-gauge
railway track, reducing the need to establish
right-of-way.
Contracts for five earlier phases of the SGR
line have been awarded to Turkish and
Portuguese contractors. The Tanzanian SGR
line will link landlocked countries of Rwanda,
Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) to the Indian Ocean port city of Dar es
Salaam. The SGR line, once fully operational,
would reduce cargo transportation costs
between Dar es Salaam and the landlocked
countries from $6,000 per metric ton to
$4,000 per metric ton. Transportation time is
also expected to drop drastically from 30 days
to 30 hours by 2027.
In January 2021 China Civil Engineering
Photo Courtesy
The agreement for construction of the latest segment of the railway was signed in late
December between representatives of the Tanzanian government and China Civil Engineering
Construction Corp. Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan witnessed the signing (seated,
center). Photo Courtesy CCECC
Construction Corporation and China Railway
Construction Corporation signed another
contract for the construction of the fifth phase
of the SGR line, approximately 249-km long,
connecting the town of Isaka to Mwanza, the
second-largest city in Tanzania. The contract
award coincided with Tanzania’s securing a
$1.32 billion loan to finance this phase of the
SGR line.
The SGR line is designed with a lifespan of
100 years, and can handle axle loads of 35
metric tons and a design speed of 160 KPH
(99 MPH) for passenger trains and 120 KPH
(74 MPH) for freight trains. Initially, 24 trains,
with maximum length of 2 km, will travel the
2,561-km electrified SGR line.
The SGR will use UIC 60-type rail on prestressed,
mono-block concrete. According to
the Tanzania Railway Corporation, the SGR
line’s “horizontal curves will be designed to
account for the relatively higher speed of the
new train.”
The SGR line is being laid with 2.6-m-long
sleepers that are spaced 600-mm apart.
The is also utilizing 2.5 cu meters of ballast
for every meter laid. The ballast’s thickness
and shoulder width has been designed
at maximum of 300 mm and 400 mm
respectively.
The rails will be fastened using the elastic rail
fastening-anti vandal system while the track
will have continuously welded joined using
the flush-butt method.
“This Tabora-Kigoma railway will open up
Tanzania and connect it with Democratic
Republic of Congo where there is a lot of
cargo that needs to be transported through
our [Dar es Salaam] port,” said Tanzania’s
President Samia Suluhu Hassan during the
signing of the contract in December 2022.
Tanzania is expected to finance the project
through equity and commercial loans. With
the contract award for the Tabora-Kigoma
section, the total investment in the entire
SGR line project in Tanzania has now risen to
$10.4 billion.
“I know our critics blame us for taking up
these loans, but they must understand that
a better infrastructure is key to driving
growth in our country and making Tanzania
competitive at the regional level,” said
President Samia Suluhu Hassan in December
2022.
12 January-February issue l 2023 www.africasurveyorsonline.com