Tema, April 14, GNA- Construction works on the Container Terminal at the Tema Port is expected to be completed in October this year, Mr Ben Owusu-Mensah, Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) announced on Thursday.

He said the project would show case GPHA as a modern container terminal to the outside world.

Mr Owusu-Mensah made the announcement when he took delivery of 16,855,000-dollar container handling equipment which arrived at the port on board MV Zhenhua 9 from China.

The machinery, comprising three Ships to Shore gantry cranes of 45 tonnes lifting capacity each, and four rubber-tried gantry cranes also with 40 tonnes lifting capacity each were manufactured by ZPMC of Shanghai, China.

When it starts operating in the next eight weeks the gantry cranes would be capable improving its container handling from 11 to in an hour.

The Director -General expressed the hope that container handling in the port would surpass that of all ports in the sub-region and facilitate the dream of making the facility the gateway to West Africa. "This makes Tema Port the true gateway to the West Africa sub-region, serving Ghana's trade, the trades of our sister landlocked countries and the major transhipment port as envisaged in the government's gateway project."

He said the assembling, testing and training of operators of the equipment is expected to last for eight weeks after which they would be officially commissioned.

Mr Brian Adomako, Chairman of GPHA Board of Directors lauded the technological innovation.

Mr Bismarck Okutu, Chief Engineer of the GPHA expressed the hope that Ghana would be in the position to compete with Europe and other developed countries.