Port of Mtwara
In short
Mtwara: no ships detected in port from AIS in the last 3 days (as of Oct 5, 2026, 01:19 UTC). Coverage depends on AIS reception in the area.
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- In port now
- 0
- Arrivals, last 24 h
- 0
- Departures, last 24 h
- 0
- Ships nearby, last 6 h
- 0
Vessels near Mtwara
Ships Voydar received on AIS near the port in the last 6 hours, most recent first. Being near a port is not a port call; the board above lists calls.
No vessels detected near Mtwara in the last 6 hours. As our AIS coverage grows, arrivals and departures will appear here live.
Harbour & facilities
Harbour particulars for Mtwara from the NGA World Port Index (WPI port no. 46975). Depths in metres as charted by NGA.
- Harbour size
- Very small
- Harbour type
- Coastal (breakwater)
- Shelter
- Good
- Channel depth
- 20 m
- Anchorage depth
- 5 m
- Cargo pier depth
- 9 m
- Oil terminal depth
- 9 m
- Mean tide
- 3 m
- Pilotage compulsory
- Yes
- First port of entry
- No
- Repairs
- Emergency only
Source: NGA World Port Index (Pub. 150). Licence: US Government public domain.
Not for navigation.
Forecast
Model forecast for Mtwara over the next 72 hours, every 6 hours: wind, gusts, waves and visibility. Times in UTC.
| Time (UTC) | Wind (kn) | From | Gusts (kn) | Waves (m) | Period (s) | Visibility (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 156° | 8 | 0.8 | 9 | 24 | |
| 7 | 114° | 11 | 0.6 | 8 | 24 | |
| 12 | 101° | 20 | 0.7 | 8 | 24 | |
| 7 | 106° | 10 | 0.6 | 7 | 24 | |
| 5 | 112° | 8 | 0.8 | 8 | 24 | |
| 8 | 86° | 14 | 0.8 | 9 | 24 | |
| 10 | 72° | 18 | 0.8 | 8 | 24 | |
| 7 | 87° | 10 | 0.7 | 8 | 24 | |
| 6 | 91° | 9 | 0.8 | 9 | 24 | |
| 8 | 82° | 14 | 0.8 | 8 | 24 | |
| 8 | 80° | 15 | 0.7 | 7 | 23 |
Forecast: ECMWF IFS 0.25° + ECMWF WAM, run of Oct 4, 2026, 12:00 UTC. Visibility: NOAA GFS 0.25° + GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III), run of Oct 4, 2026, 18:00 UTC. Waves are taken from the wave model's nearest sea point, 6 km away.
Source: ECMWF open data (IFS 0.25° forecasts, ECMWF WAM waves). This service is based on data and products of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Source: www.ecmwf.int. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Licence: CC-BY-4.0 + ECMWF Terms of Use.
Source: NOAA GFS 0.25° and GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III) forecasts. Forecast: NOAA NCEP GFS / GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III). Licence: US Government work (public domain); NOAA Open Data Dissemination.
A model forecast, not an observation. Not for navigation.
Mtwara: daily port calls from satellite AIS (IMF PortWatch)
Estimates published by the International Monetary Fund's PortWatch, built from satellite and terrestrial AIS. They cover waters our own receivers do not reach yet. These are the IMF's figures, not Voydar's counts.
The IMF estimates 3 port calls in the 7 days and 13 in the 30 days to Sep 25, 2026. That is 63% more than the same 30 days a year earlier (8).
- Container
- 0
- Tanker
- 1
- Dry bulk
- 6
- General cargo
- 6
- Ro-ro
- 0
Estimated cargo loaded and discharged in those 30 days: 0.2 million tonnes.
09-12 0 | 09-13 0 | 09-14 1 | 09-15 1 | 09-16 0 | 09-17 1 | 09-18 0 | 09-19 1 | 09-20 2 | 09-21 0 | 09-22 0 | 09-23 0 | 09-24 0 | 09-25 0 |
Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org). IMF estimates, updated weekly; the latest days are revised. portwatch.imf.org. Counts cover container ships, tankers, dry bulk, general cargo and ro-ro vessels (30-day totals above).
Mtwara: global benchmarks
How Mtwara compares with the world's ports, from published statistics. These are the publishers' figures, not Voydar's own measurements.
- Port liner shipping connectivity, 1 2025
- 10.7
- UNCTAD index (100 = the average port in Q1 2023). Down 48% on a year earlier.
- Source: UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Data Hub, port liner shipping connectivity index (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved Sep 24, 2026.
Piracy and anti-shipping incidents nearby
6 incidents within 100 km of the port in NGA's Anti-Shipping Activity Messages (ASAM) archive since Feb 13, 2003. NGA stopped updating the archive in 2024. The most recent:
- Pirate AssaultMar 26, 2021Other64 km away
On 26 March, insurgents reportedly briefly boarded two vessels in the harbor at Palma, during an insurgent-led siege of the city. More than 1,300 people have been evacuated from the city, mostly by ship.
- Pirate AssaultOct 21, 2010Vessel63 km away
TANZANIA: Container ship fired upon 21 Oct 10 at 0825 local time while underway in position 09-45S 039-56.9E, approximately 10NM east of Lindi. Two skiffs, one with five people onboard and another with six people onboard, approached the ship, which was transiting at 19kts. Pirates fired AK-47s and four RPG, three of which hit the ship. The incident lasted 31 minutes. There was damage to two cabins on board but no injuries to the crew. (IMB)
- Pirate AssaultOct 10, 2010Merchant Vessel45 km away
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN, TANZANIA: Merchant vessel attacked in 09-52S 040-08E at 101911Z Oct. Vessels are advised to keep 100 miles clear of this position and to exercise extreme caution.
- Pirate AssaultOct 10, 2010Merchant Vessel45 km away
TANZANIA: Merchant vessel (ANUKET JADE) fired upon 10 Oct 10 at 1848 UTC while underway in position 09-52S 040-08E, approximately190NM southeast of Dar es Salaam. Five men armed with guns chased and opened fire on a product tanker underway. The Master enforced all counter-piracy measures and contacted the Tanzanian navy. Master reported being fired on by a skiff with five people on board. (IMB, EU NAVFOR)
- Pirate AssaultSep 25, 2010Merchant Vessel78 km away
TANZANIA: Tanzanian Navy patrol boat fired upon 25 Sep 10 at 2000 UTC while underway in position 09-34S 040-14E, approximately 175NM southeast of Dar es Salaam. One skiff with four pirates onboard armed with small arms and RPG approached and fired upon the vessel, attempting to hit the rudder. Patrol boat fired back and skiff retreated. Two personnel on patrol boat were injured. Due to small size of skiff, captain believes a mother ship may be operating in the vicinity. Patrol boat attempted to
- Pirate AssaultFeb 13, 2003Merchant Vessel0 km away
TANZANIA: An unidentified Ro/Ro was boarded 13 Feb at 0210 local time at Mtwara port. Watchman spotted one person on board who passed ship stores to two others in a boat. Port police informed and on arrival they fired warning shots. Thieves fled and stolen items plus their boat recovered (IMB).
Source: NGA Anti-Shipping Activity Messages. This reproduction, partial or complete, of any National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) or Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) product, information or data is not approved, authorized or endorsed by the Secretary of Defense, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director, NGA or any other element of the US Government. The US Government and NGA accept no liability for the accuracy or quality of this reproduction or the use of any NGA, NIMA or DMA products, information or data. Licence: US Government work — "NGA claims no copyright or other intellectual property right".
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