Tanzania Naval Command
The Tanzania Naval Command (Swahili: Kamandi ya Jeshi la Majini) is the naval military branch of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF).[1] It was established in 1971 with assistance from China.[2]
Tanzania Naval Command
History[edit]
In the years immediately following independence, Tanzania did not have a navy. Coastal patrols were performed by the Police Marine Unit, using four Type 368 craft lent by the West German government. Cooperation ended abruptly following the recognition of East Germany by the Tanzanian government in February 1965.[3] Four Shanghai class boats were given to the Police by the Government of the People's Republic of China to replace the West German vessels. These were to later form the nucleus of the Tanzanian Naval Command.[4]
In 1968, the PRC reached an agreement to build a naval base for the TNC. Work on the facility began in January 1970, and was complete in December 1971.[4]
As of 2016, the assets of the Tanzania Naval Command included:[5]
In 2015–6, Tanzania replaced the two landing craft with similar Chinese Type 068 vessels. The new 28-metre vessels, Mbono and Sehewa, took part in an amphibious operation demonstration on 30 September 2016. They unloaded infantry and Type 63A amphibious light tanks as part of the exercise. The landing craft were delivered to the naval base in Dar es Salaam by January 2016.[6]
