DODOMA, Feb. 5 -- THE government has said the capacity of a port to receive vessels depends on several critical factors, including berth length, yard size, channel depth, cargo-handling equipment, operational systems and the quality of connecting road and rail infrastructure.

Deputy Minister for Transport, Mr David Kihezile, told the National Assembly on Wednesday that these elements collectively determine how many ships a port can handle at any given time.

He was responding to a question from Bumbwini Member of Parliament Mwinyi Jamal Ramadhan (CCM), who sought to know why the Port of Dar es Salaam is unable to receive many vessels simultaneously.

Mr Kihezile explained that the Dar es Salaam Port currently has 13 berths capable of han...