The Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Port Services, Mohammed Samara has noted that the Tema Port expansion project is on schedule and that the first phase would be completed in June 2019.

Speaking in an interview with Eye on Port on the progress of work so far he said the Tema port expansion project is progressing steadily with about 90% of land reclaimed from the sea.

He said by early 2019, in-depth engagements with stakeholders and masses regarding the capacity of the project would start and the facility will be ready for use by June 2019.

He said the big harbour basin has about 74 hollow steel reinforced concrete structures to be constructed as quay wall and already about 21 are filled with aggregates and have been sunk into the sea with each being 1000 cubic meters and 2,600 tons.

“Compared to the traditional quay walls made with blocks, these concrete structures are faster, durable, and of a heavier mass but they are more expensive,” he said.

Mohammed Samara added that the design criteria are for 100 years and that GPHA has the choice of further developing about twice the size of the current expansion on the peninsula in the future. He said that the port expansion could accommodate 18 to 20 berths depending on their specific purposes.

The CEO of MPS assured of a secured financing for the Tema Port expansion project. He stated that out of the $1.5 billion budgeted for the two phases of the expansion project, the $1billion for the first phase has been honoured by the shareholders and of which a third has been spent already and another $667 million from IFC has kicked in and would be taken in trenches when needed for the project.



Highlighting on employment, Mohammed mentioned that about 5000 Ghanaians have been employed as workers on the field, drivers, suppliers and support services.

He stated that the traffic on the beach road from Nungua to Tema will be taken care of following the inauguration of the Tema motorway roundabout project.

Head of Legal of MPS, Ebo Brown said that engagements with all relevant authorities, stakeholders and project affected persons have been held and issues regarding the project have been resolved.