Tanzania

Malaria, dengue fever, and cholera are common in Tanzania.

Isolated outbreaks of Ebola virus disease have occurred occasionally in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, often in remote areas. On 8 May 2018, two cases of Ebola were confirmed in the DRC town of Bikoro, Western DRC. Passengers travelling from the DRC may be subject to health screening at ports of entry in Tanzania.

There have also been cases of sleeping sickness occurring after bites from tsetse flies in the north, including the Serengeti. Other diseases, such as rift valley fever, occur mostly in rural areas where access to sanitation is limited.

In the 2015 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 1,400,000 adults aged 15 or over in Tanzania were living with HIV; the prevalence percentage was estimated at around 4.7 of the adult population.

If you need emergency medical assistance during your stay in Tanzania, dial 112 and ask for an ambulance.

The proximity of attacks has spread and taken place off Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles and Madagascar. Pirates are believed to be using mother vessels to launch attacks at very far distances from the coast, with some attacks taking place up to 600 n.m. from the coast. Two attacks occurred beyond the recommended Long. 060° E. Pirates have been known to operate in/near to positions 00° 43.70′ S, 061° 57.80′ E and 00° 29.00′ N, 063° 12.00′ E, approx. 1,000–1,100 n.m. east of Mogadishu.

Vessels are advised to keep more than 600 n.m. from the coastline and when routeing north/south, keeping east of Long. 60° 00′ E until east of the Seychelles.

In view of the recent attacks, all vessels are advised, when proceeding to/from South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia to consider routeing south of Lat. 10° 00′ S and east of Long. 060° 00′ E, avoiding the area between the Somali coast and north and west of the Seychelles. A 24-hour visual and radar watch must be maintained as early sightings/detection and accurate assessment will allow Masters to take evasive action and increase speed, and at the same time request for assistance and escape.

Due to the unprecedented number of Somali pirate incidents, the IMB calls for all Masters transiting the Gulf of Aden, southern Red Sea, off Oman, east coast of Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles and Madagascar to report all sightings of suspected pirate mother ships to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. This vital intelligence will then be used to identify and target the mother ships. This will enable appropriate action to be taken in response.

Within the VRA there is a high-risk area (HRA) as follows:

The IRTC includes the creation of eastbound and westbound transit lanes. Each lane has width 5.0 n.m. with a 2.0 n.m. buffer zone separating eastbound and westbound lanes. The IRTC has the following coordinates:

Group transits have been designed to put ships into different speed groups in order to exploit the additional protection and assurance of being in a group. The times for different groups to enter the IRTC are calculated that they pass through the area of statistically greatest danger, between long. 47° E and 49° E, at night and ensures that all ships, regardless of speed, are together at first light. This allows the military forces in the area to best position their assets in the area to protect ships against piracy and give assistance in case of attack.

Timing of transit groups as follows:

Masters of vessels using the IRTC, and those following group transits, are not relieved of their obligation and should continue to maintain a strict 24-hour lookout using all available means to get early warnings of an approaching threat.

Masters are also advised to maintain a listening watch on VHF Channels 16, 8 and 72. Warships make advisory calls, ``Securite'' broadcasts, to announce their location and in turn will also listen for merchant ships calling them.

Vessels are encouraged to report their positions by email or the UKMTO website eForms at 0800 UTC whilst operating in the UKMTO VRA. Reporting can also be done through MSCIO (see below).

The Voluntary Reporting Scheme (VRS) form can be obtained from Admiralty Chart Q6099 and in the annex of BMP5 (Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy and Enhance Maritime Security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea).

The merchant VRS is established to increase security and provide anti-piracy support to maintain the freedom of navigation to all vessels in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. Merchant vessels operating in these areas are strongly encouraged to report and liaise with UKMTO (and/or MSCIO) whilst transiting the VRA. Any vessel, owner, operator or manager choosing not to report may delay any military assistance in the event of an incident as military assets may not be expecting the ship and valuable information may not be available.

The scheme is free to participate in, and vessels of any flag or ownership are invited to participate. All information is treated in strict commercial confidence and only used within military circles.

Submitted BMP Reporting Forms will be shared with the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO). Sharing this information encourages integration between maritime centres to combat piracy and other illicit activities at sea.

General T: +44 (2392) 222065. [email protected]

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) - Dubai: T: +971 50 189 8389.

Alternatively, the forms can be downloaded, filled in, and sent to [email protected] or F: +44 (1923) 956575.

Most banks in major cities have ATMs, but they are not always reliable and sometimes break down or run out of money. To minimise the risk of card cloning, only use ATMs located within the bank. Travellers cheques are not widely accepted.

Extremists linked to the Islamic terrorist group Al-Shabaab based in Somalia pose a threat across the east Africa region, and are thought to be active in Tanzania. There is also thought to be some support for Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL); however, many incidents in Tanzania are of unclear origin and may be conducted by criminal gangs. Although there have been no significant terrorist attacks in Tanzania in recent years, the authorities in Tanzania successfully made a number of arrests in connection to terrorism throughout 2016.

There is a high proportion of Muslims in Tanzania, especially along the coast and on Zanzibar and Pemba. Respect local traditions, customs, laws and religions at all times and be aware of your actions to ensure that they don’t offend, especially during the holy month of Ramadan or if you intend to visit religious areas. You should dress modestly. In Zanzibar and Pemba, women should avoid wearing shorts and sleeveless tops away from tourist resorts, and particularly in Stone Town and other places where the local population may be offended. There have been cases where women travelling alone and in small groups have been verbally harassed.

Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania (including Zanzibar) and is not tolerated in Tanzania’s conservative society. Public displays of homosexuality like holding hands or kissing in public places could lead to arrest and imprisonment.

Tanzania (including Zanzibar) has strict laws regarding drug use and those found in possession will be fined. There are severe penalties, including prison sentences, for drug trafficking.

There are criminal laws on the protection of wildlife and fauna in Tanzania. Avoid bringing wildlife products such as jewellery into Tanzania as you risk delay, questioning or detention when trying to leave the country. These products, whether bought or received as a gift in Tanzania, are illegal. Foreigners have been arrested recently for trying to take products, including horns and seashells, out of the country without a certified export permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. If you’re caught you may be detained or fined.