Tanzania's Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, through the state-owned Tanzania Fisheries Corporation (TAFICO), has signed an agreement with a Chinese company for the construction of three deep sea fishing vessels under a project financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Procurement and deployment of the vessels in Tanzania's deep-sea fishing space was a component of IFAD's Agriculture and Fisheries Development Programme (AFDP), a six-year project implemented in Tanzania in support of inclusive food systems for improved livelihoods, food security, nutrition, and resilience.
TAFICO did not mention the company it signed the agreement with in its statement, but Tanzanian media identified the contractor as China’s Rongcheng Xinyang Shipbuilding Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Weihai Jinyang Shipbuilding Co.
The Chinese firm says on its profile page it is a “professional manufacturer of various types of government vessels, fishing vessels, offshore engineering ships, marine equipment, yachts, and other small and medium-sized transportation ships.”
DFSA's long-term plan is to acquire six vessels to boost its deep-sea fishing operations, with four of them set to be based in mainland Tanzania under TAFICO, and the other two operated by Zanzibar's Fisheries Corporation (ZAFICO), a government entity of Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar.
The new agreement comes nearly six years after Tanzania’s approval of the Deep Sea Fisheries Management and Development Act, which was meant to address offshore fishing constraints, including inadequate vessels with capacity to exploit the marine fisheries and tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
DFSA has been grappling with the challenge of limited skilled manpower for operating fishing vessels in Tanzania's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), thus hampering effective development of the country's deep sea fisheries resource.
TAFICO said the “acquisition of essential working facilities, including the three deep-sea fishing vessels, is a clear indication of the major transformation taking place within the corporation and the fisheries sector as a whole.”
The state-owned corporation said increased investment in deep-sea fishing would help the country make better use of its marine resources while creating opportunities for economic growth and employment, including generating revenue for the government through the issuance of licences and permits by DFSA.
During the 2026/2027 fiscal year, DFSA plans to issue 81 licenses to individuals and companies eyeing investment in Tanzania's fishing industry and a further 40 permits for deep sea fishing in anticipation of increasing the level of private sector investment from domestic and foreign investors.
At least 40 foreign and two domestic vessels were issued deep-sea fishing permits in the 2025/2026 fiscal year, earning the country an estimated TZS 7.5 billion (USD 2.8 million, EUR 2.4 million) – 46 percent of the targeted TZS 11.95 billion (USD 4.5 million, EUR 3.9 million ). Tanzania total fish production was estimated at 599,200 metric tons (MT), made up of 466,957 MT from capture fisheries and 132,243 MT from aquaculture, valued at TZS 3.44 trillion (USD 1.3 billion, EUR 1.1 billion).
The government said these production levels are below the annual national consumption demand of 1.3 million MT, with the fisheries department pledging to plug the deficit through the strengthening of the management of the country's fisheries resources and promoting investment in the development of aquaculture and deep-sea fishing.
