The Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) was established by the Ports Act No. 17 of 2004 as landlord port authority. It operates a system of ports serving the Tanzania hinterland and the landlocked countries of Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. TPA currently performs the role of both a Landlord and Operator with the main functions of promoting the use, development and management of ports and their hinterlands, entering into contracts for the purpose of delegating the powers of the Authority (through licensing and concessioning ports services).