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Heavy rainfall and strong winds have been reported in the coastal areas of Mtwara and Lindi, with forecasts saying that Tanzania’s commercial hub, Dar es Salaam, may be affected.

Other places likely to be affected by the impact of the cyclone include Mtwara, Lindi, Tanga, and Zanzibar.

Mtwara has seen 13 vessels load up with coal since November last year when it launched its first-ever coal shipment, according to a port official; the latest, the MV Miss Simona, a bulk carrier with 34,529-tonne capacity, docked last week, loaded up and sailed off to France.

Indeed traders in Europe are willing to pay twice the price quoted by Asian buyers, according to some mine executives such as Bluesky's Ahmed, who said his company didn't currently export through Mtwara, but planned to do so, and had received requests from buyers in Germany, Poland and Britain.

Tanzania traditionally exports thermal coal only to neighbouring countries in east Africa; sending it further afield was out of the question, as it required trucking the material more than 600 km from mines in its southwest to Mtwara, the nearest Indian Ocean port.