The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has initiated steps to reclaim about half a kilometer of sea three kilometers westward of the Tema Port to secure more space for expansion to meet increasing demands of the maritime industry, reports the Government of Ghana official portal.
The expansion project, expected to cost about $1 billion, will involve reclamation, dredging, the provision of breakwaters and the construction of container terminals and a cruise terminal.
Already, a Chinese team of experts in the marine business involved in container manufacturing, the provision of container terminals, among others, is in the country to have first-hand information on the Tema Port.
According to the acting Director-General of the GPHA, Mr Richard Abugri Anamoo, the Tema and Takoradi Ports had become too small to manage the present growth in maritime business.
He said the situation had made it necessary for the management of the GPHA to seek partnership and support to meet the demands of maritime transport.
The Chinese team, led by Mr Qui Jingung, the Deputy Managing Director of Cosco Pacific Limited, a Chinese investment company in Hong Kong, inspected the land area along the west coast end of the port, the main port and the Golden Jubilee Container Terminal and observed the congestion at the port.
Briefing the team during the inspection tour, Mr Anamoo said the GPHA was taking advantage of the private/public partnership (PPP) system to seek support from investors to help expand the two ports.
He said it was an opportunity for the GPHA to have Cosco Pacific Limited, the fifth largest container terminal operators in the world and major player in the industry with vast experience, to decide to invest in the expansion programme of the country’s major ports.
He said the port was currently choked with earth-moving equipment, iron rods and much transit cargo, while about 16 vessels were still on the high seas for lack of berthing space.
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Dredging Today Staff, May 15, 2012;