By Issa Yussuf
Zanzibar — ZANZIBAR will end its contract with Philtex Company for registering international ships, over concerns of violation of agreements including the banned Iranian oil tankers.
"We have decided to terminate the 10-year contract as Philtex has violated the agreement," Dr Juma Malik Akili, Principal Secretary- Ministry of Infrastructure and Communication, said at a press conference on Saturday.
He said that Zanzibar took action after a series of complaints from various stakeholders that Philtex had registered the Iranian oil tankers.
Dr Akili said that the Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA) has taken over the operations after opening an office in Dubai, following an announcement that Philtex is no longer Zanzibar's agent in Dubai.
Philtex had worked for Zanzibar's 'Tanzania Zanzibar International Registration of Ships (TZIRS) since 2007 and according to ZMA Director, Eng. Abdi Omar Maalim, it had performed well in terms of revenue collection.
Mr Maalim appealed to over 350 ships registered by Philtex to turn to ZMA immediately. Efforts to get response from Philtex authorities proved futile on Saturday, but Dr Akili said that the company still holds detailed documents of the ships.
Meanwhile, the new ship purchased from South Korea is expected to sail to Zanzibar in June, next year after, the Permanent Secretary (PS) revealed.
"We are on track and the ship worth over US 30 million dollars has the capacity to carry 1,200 passengers and 200 tonnes of goods," said Dr Akili.
Source: Daily News