The Ferries Act
This section gives the Act’s short title and defines key terms used in the Act.
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- Tanzania
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- Act or statute
- Citation
- The Ferries Act
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- en
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Statute overview
About this statute
This section gives the Act’s short title and defines key terms used in the Act. The Minister may publish a Gazette notice declaring certain water crossings to be public ferries. When a passage is declared a public ferry under the Act, the Minister gets the rights in that passage and the land beneath it. The Agency is responsible for operating government-owned and public ferries, providing ferry services, and keeping ferry services safe and efficient. The Corporation must regulate compliance of the Agency or other licensed ferry-service providers on safety, security, and pollution prevention matters, and must comply with the Merchant Shipping Act when doing so.
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Provisions of The Ferries Act
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Short title and interpretation
This section gives the Act’s short title and defines key terms used in the Act.
1.–(1) This Act may be cited as the Ferries Act. (2) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires- “Agency” means Tanzania Electrical Mechanical and Electronics Services Agency established under the Executive Agencies Act; “Corporation” means the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Corporation established under section 4 of the Tanzania Shipping Agencies Act; “ferry” includes a boat or ship other than boat or ship owned or operated by security forces, whether owned by the Government or private person, for conveyance of passengers or goods in a passage over any river, arm of the sea, lake or part of a lake from any place to which the public has access to any other place; “Minister” means the Minister responsible for works; “public ferry” means a passage over an area of water declared to be a public ferry under section 2; “ship” means a floating vessel which is self-propelled and capable of carrying passengers or cargo and includes every description of vessel used in navigation; “Tribunal” means the Fair Competition Tribunal established Cap. 285 by section 84 of the Fair Competition Act. 610 ©2025 Government of Tanzania. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without permission of OAG. THE FERRIES ACT Public ferries Act No. 13 of 2019 s. 11 GN. No. 478 of 1962 Pubic ferries vested in the Minister Act No. 13 of 2019 s. 12 GN. No. 478 of 1962 Responsibilities of Agency Act. No. 13 of 2019 s. 13 Cap. 165 [CAP. 173 R.E. 2023] - 2 Verify source ↗
Public ferries
The Minister may publish a Gazette notice declaring certain water crossings to be public ferries.
2.–(1) The Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, declare that the passage over any river, arm of the sea, lake or part of a lake from any place to which the public have access to any other such place is a public ferry. (2) Where any such passage as aforesaid exists over any water forming a boundary of Tanzania the Minister may declare that such part of such passage as lies within Tanzania shall be a public ferry within the meaning of this Act.
Part
part of a lake from any place to which the public have access to
- 3 Verify source ↗
Pubic ferries vested in the Minister
When a passage is declared a public ferry under the Act, the Minister gets the rights in that passage and the land beneath it.
3. Upon the declaration of any passage as a public ferry under this Act all rights in respect thereto and over the soil thereunder shall vest in the Minister. - 4 Verify source ↗
Responsibilities of Agency
The Agency is responsible for operating government-owned and public ferries, providing ferry services, and keeping ferry services safe and efficient.
4.–(1) The Agency shall be responsible for- (a) management and operation of Government owned ferries; (b) provision of ferry services; (c) management and control of public ferries; and (d) maintenance of safe and efficient ferry services. (2) In exercising its responsibilities, the Agency shall have regard to the principle of safety, security and protection of environment as provided for under the Merchant Shipping Act. [s. 3A] Regulatory roles of Corporation Act No 13 of 2019 s. 13 Cap. 165 - 5 Verify source ↗
Regulatory roles of Corporation
The Corporation must regulate compliance of the Agency or other licensed ferry-service providers on safety, security, and pollution prevention matters, and must comply with the Merchant Shipping Act when doing so.
5.–(1) The Corporation shall regulate compliance of the Agency or such other person licenced to provide ferry services on matters relating to safety, security and prevention of pollution. (2) In exercising its regulatory role under this Act, the Corporation shall comply with the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act. [s. 3B] Licence to ply for hire on public ferry - 6 Verify source ↗
Licence to ply for hire on public ferry
A person must not carry passengers or cargo for hire or reward over a public ferry unless licensed under this Act.
6. A person shall not for hire or reward convey passengers or cargo of any description over a public ferry unless he is authorised to do so by a licence issued under this Act. [s. 4] 611 ©2025 Government of Tanzania. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without permission of OAG. THE FERRIES ACT Mandate to provide ferry services Act. No. 13 of 2019 s. 14 [CAP. 173 R.E. 2023] - 7 Verify source ↗
Mandate to provide ferry services
The Agency has the exclusive mandate to provide ferry services on a public ferry, and it may license others to do so after consulting the Corporation. The Minister may make regulations about licences and related fees.
7.–(1) The Agency shall have exclusive mandate to provide ferry services on a public ferry. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), the Agency may, upon consultation with the Corporation, license any person to provide ferry services on a public ferry. (3) The Minister may make regulations for- (a) issuance and management of licence; (b) fees for issuance for licence; and (c) any other matter that he considers necessary for better implementation of this section. Repealed - 8 Verify source ↗
10. [Repealed by Act No. 13 of 2019 s 15.]
Sections 8–10 are repealed.
8.–10. [Repealed by Act No. 13 of 2019 s 15.] [s. 5] [ss. 6-8] Complaints handling and court redress Act No. 13 of 2019 s. 16 - 11 Verify source ↗
Complaints handling and court redress
A person aggrieved by an Agency decision may file a written complaint to the Minister within 21 days, and a person aggrieved by a Minister decision may seek redress in the High Court within 30 days.
11.–(1) A person aggrieved by the decision of the Agency under this Act may, within twenty one days from the date of the decision, lodge a written complaint to the Minister. (2) The manner and procedure of handling complaints by the Minister shall be as prescribed in the regulations. (3) A person aggrieved by a decision of the Minister made or given pursuant to this Act may, within thirty days from the date on which the decision is given or made, seek redress in the High Court. [s. 9] Recovery of fee and cancellation of licence if fee unpaid - 12 Verify source ↗
Recovery of fee and cancellation of licence if fee unpaid
Unpaid licence fees may be recovered as a debt to the Government, and the Minister may cancel the licence if part of the fee stays unpaid for 21 days or more after it becomes due, without prior notice.
12. Any part of the fee for a licence which remains unpaid after the licence shall have become due may be recovered as a debt due to the public revenue of the Government: Provided that, if any part of such fee shall remain unpaid for twenty one days or more after the licence shall have become due, the Minister may, without prior notice to the licensee, cancel the licence, without prejudice to recovery of such part of the fee which shall then be due and unpaid. [s. 10] 612 ©2025 Government of Tanzania. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without permission of OAG. THE FERRIES ACT Regulations Act No. 13 of 2019 s. 17 GN. No. 478 of 1962 Prohibition of maintenance of ferry within prescribed distance of public ferry Act No. 13 of 2019 s. 18 General penalty Act. No. 13 of 2019 s. 19 [CAP. 173 R.E. 2023] - 13 Verify source ↗
Regulations
The Minister may make regulations about ferry fees, ferry service management and operations, and other matters needed to implement the Act.
13. The Minister may make regulations for any of the following purposes: (a) prescribing the fees which may be charged for the conveyance of passengers or cargo of any description over any public ferry; (b) ferry services management and operations; and (c) any other matters for which the Minister considers necessary for proper implementation of this Act. [s. 11] - 14 Verify source ↗
Prohibition of maintenance of ferry within prescribed distance of public ferry
You must not establish, maintain, or operate a ferry too close to a public ferry, and you must not carry on activities near a public ferry that are likely to interfere with ferry operations or pollute the ferry environment.
14.–(1) A person shall not establish, maintain or operate a ferry within two miles upon either side of a public ferry or within such distance as the Minister may prescribe. (2) A person shall not carry on any activity within the prescribed distance of a public ferry which is likely to interfere with ferry service operations or pollute public ferry environment. (3) A person who contravenes the provisions of this section commits an offence and on conviction shall be liable to fine of not less than fifty thousand shillings but not exceeding ten million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both. [s. 12] - 15 Verify source ↗
General penalty
A person who breaks any Act provision with no specific penalty commits an offence and may be fined, imprisoned for up to 12 months, or both.
15. A person who contravenes any of the provision of this Act for which no specific penalty is provided, commits an offence and on conviction shall be liable to a fine of not less than fifty thousand shillings but not exceeding one million shillings or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months or to both. [s. 13] Savings of permits lawfully granted by or on behalf of Government 16. No permit or other authority lawfully granted before the commencement of this Act by or on behalf of the Government to any person for the carriage of passengers or cargo of any description over any public ferry for hire or reward shall be 613 ©2025 Government of Tanzania. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without permission of OAG. THE FERRIES ACT [CAP. 173 R.E. 2023] deemed to be abridged by anything contained in this Act, provided that the exercise of any right under any such permit or authority shall be subject to any regulations made under this Act in the same manner as the exercise of any right granted by a licence under this Act. Repealed - 17 Verify source ↗
Repealed
This section has been repealed and omitted.
17. [Repealed by Act No. 13 of 2019 s. 20.] Omitted - 18 Verify source ↗
Omitted
This section is omitted.
18. [Omitted.] [s. 14] [s. 15] [s. 16] SCHEDULE [Omitted] 614 ©2025 Government of Tanzania. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed without permission of OAG.
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