BAGAMOYO: The Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC), in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has conducted a trial census of water transport vessels and boat builders along the Bagamoyo coast as part of preparations for the 2026 Census of Water Transport Vessels and Shipbuilders in Mainland Tanzania.
The trial exercise, held on September 29, 2026, was designed to assess the preparedness of census officials while providing them with an opportunity to practically apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their training.
The trial came shortly after the two state-owned entities conducted a special training workshop aimed at equipping enumerators for the envisaged national maritime census with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct the exercise professionally.
Speaking during the exercise, Captain Alex Katama, Chairperson of the Committee of Experts coordinating the census, said the trial exercise had proceeded successfully, with census officials carrying out their duties in accordance with the instructions and training they had received.
He observed that the practical exercise had enabled census officials to gain hands-on experience in collecting accurate census information from vessel owners and operators, as well as from boat and shipbuilding sites.
“Overall, the exercise went well. The census officials were able to conduct the trial as they had been trained, which demonstrates that they are ready to effectively implement the census,” Captain Katama said.
Meanwhile, fishermen and water transport vessel builders expressed their readiness to cooperate with the exercise by providing the required information to facilitate the collection of accurate and reliable statistics on Tanzania’s water transport sector.
Their cooperation is expected to contribute significantly to the success of the census, which seeks to establish important information on the number and types of water transport vessels, as well as shipbuilding and boat-building activities across Mainland Tanzania.
TASAC and NBS have continued to urge all stakeholders to actively participate in the census by providing accurate information on time.
The resulting data will help the government in planning, regulating, managing and developing the country’s water transport sector.
The census is scheduled to commence from October 1 to 30, 2026, and will be conducted professionally by the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation (TASAC).
Moreover, the census will involve collecting information on water transport vessels, shipbuilders and repairers of ships and other water transport vessels.