The Uganda Railways Corporation has commenced the rehabilitation of tank containers, commonly known as tank-tainers, as the corporation prepares to resume fuel transportation business in Uganda.

According to the corporation’s spokesperson, John Linnon Ssengendo, the first batch of fully rehabilitated tank containers was cleared on May 7, 2026, from the corporation’s workshop at Nalukolongo Railway Workshop after undergoing refurbishment.

Upon completion, the tankers will be deployed along the Port Bell–Kisumu and Jinja–Kisumu corridors to transport fuel.

URC says the development is aimed at serving two key purposes: supplementing government efforts to ensure a steady fuel supply in the country and facilitating multimodal railway and water transport of cargo, including fuel.

Currently, the government operates two vessels, MV Kaawa and MV Pamba, with each vessel capable of transporting 22 tankers.

Each tanker has a capacity of 50,000 litres of fuel, translating into one million litres transported in a single voyage.

Ssengendo added that the corporation is focusing on expanding its fleet capacity. He revealed that under a project funded by the African Development Bank, another multipurpose water vessel will soon be procured alongside additional tank containers to support fuel transportation in the country.

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