TRA Commissioner General, Mr Rished Bade, said the South African firm, Bridges Shipping had subcontracted two local companies to undertake clearing and forwarding activities which did not amount to contravention of any law, regulation or administrative procedure.

"The company is not a clearing and forwarding agent, we have learnt that they hired TPA godown to undertake logistics business for cargo transiting through port of Dar es Salaam on behalf of their clients," Mr Bade said in a statement.

He said the company is free to use licensed clearing agents while engaging in logistics activities. "In our records they have used two registered clearing agents.

We have given you this information to clear potential misunderstandings that we saw coming through," he said. Bridge Shipping which is part of C. Steinweg Bridge (Pty) Ltd is a member of the C. Steinweg group of companies and has over 30 years' experience as a logistics company in Southern Africa.