Tanzania Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port: A 20,000m³ Cold Storage Project – Design & Construction Photos

Project Overview

This cold storage facility is located at Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port in Tanzania. It’s a single‑storey reinforced concrete building (with a small mezzanine area), reaching a total height of 11.6 metres. The total volume is about 20,000 m³, and the floor area covers roughly 5,000 m².

The facility handles a full range of fish processing and cold chain operations, including:

• Pre‑treatment room
• Fish sorting room
• Blast freezer
• Fresh‑keeping cold room (chiller)
• Post‑freezing packing area
• Low‑temperature frozen storage
• A connecting hallway (anteroom)
• Incoming/outgoing loading docks
• Ice‑making room and ice dispatch dock
• Electrical room, refrigeration machine room, and other support spaces

Capacity summary

• Frozen storage: approx. 1,900 tons
• Blast freezing capacity: 90 tons/day
• Ice production capacity: 100 tons/day

Temperature Zones

Area	Temperature
Frozen storage (general)	-25°C
Ultra‑low temperature storage	-60°C
Blast freezer	-35°C
Fresh‑keeping chiller	-5°C
Pre‑treatment, sorting, packing, hallway, docks	10–15°C
Ice storage room	-10°C

Breakdown of key rooms

• -18°C frozen room: 500 m², height 6 m
• -60°C ultra‑low room: 180 m², height 6 m
• Blast freezer: 180 m², height 4.5 m
• Processing hall: 400 m², height 3.5 m

Insulation Panels

All cold rooms and freezers use Changzhou Yuexian polyurethane double‑face steel panels with 0.5mm steel sheets and B1 fire‑retardant rating. Panel thicknesses vary by zone:

• 75mm, 100mm, 150mm, and 200mm depending on temperature requirements.

Refrigeration Equipment

Compressors – Gree semi‑hermetic screw parallel units

• Loading dock, pre‑treatment, blast freezer, and low‑temperature storage:
  Gree semi‑hermetic medium‑/low‑temperature screw parallel compressors: 120HP, 640HP, and 150HP units as needed.
• Fresh‑keeping room and waste room:
  Gree box‑type side‑discharge fully hermetic scroll compressors.

Evaporators

• 39 units of Zhejiang Kaidi high‑efficiency air coolers installed throughout the cold rooms.

Control System

The facility uses three PLC intelligent control cabinets with an upper computer (SCADA). Key features:

• Siemens PLC: S7‑1200
• Siemens TP series 12‑inch touch panels (with AUTO plug‑in)
• Schneider Electric components
• Three‑level user access (operator, supervisor, engineer)
• Real‑time fault alarm and remote alarm via mobile app
• Redundant integrated display and UPS power supply

Construction Photos

Final Thoughts

This 20,000m³ cold storage at Kilwa Masoko Fishing Port is a comprehensive, turnkey facility designed for the harsh tropical climate of coastal Tanzania. It supports everything from fresh fish pre‑cooling to blast freezing, long‑term frozen storage, and on‑site ice production. The combination of thick polyurethane panels, Gree screw compressors, Kaidi evaporators, and a robust Siemens‑based control system ensures reliable operation with low energy consumption.

For a fishing port that handles large daily catches, a facility like this significantly reduces post‑harvest losses and opens up export opportunities to distant markets.

Note: The project was accomplished via cooperation between Chinese EPC contractor Haocool Cold Storage Services and a local construction team in Tanzania. All photographs are the copyrighted property of the project owner.