Ghana recorded over 5.0 million tonnes of maritime trade at its two ports of Tema and Takoradi during the first quarter of 2014, according to Ghana Shippers Authority figures obtained by B&FT.

Tema Port handled over 75 percent of the total trade, which was over 3.56 million tonnes, while the port at Takoradi handled the remaining 25 percent for the period. The figure represents a decrease by 7 percent compared to the 2013 first quarter maritime operations.

The data shows that performance at Port Tema decreased by 10 percent while Port Takoradi showed a 3 percent increase during the review period.

Additionally, total transhipment and transit cargoes that passed through the two ports of the country during the period amounted to 282,781 tonnes and represents 6% of total trade.

Out this 84 percent, or 238,002 tonnes representing 5% of total throughput, was recorded as transit for the landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The transit trade through the ports of Takoradi and Tema recorded a 17 percent increase for the review period. It however decreased by 29 percent at Port Takoradi.

Transit trade to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger followed the pattern of the Transhipment/Transit trade, recording a 15 percent overall increase in activity for the review period.

The Port of Tema recorded a 16 percent increase while the port of Takoradi showed a 29 percent decrease.

The total liner tonnage for the review period amounted to 1.3 million tonnes. This was 17 percent less than was obtained in the 2013 review period.

Data on the type of trade showed that the liner import trade was made up of items such as processed foods which amounted to 166,569 tonnes; polythene raw materials recorded 151,465 tonnes; frozen meat and foods recording 137,019 tonnes; chemicals amounted to 108,091 tonnes; and tiles recorded 107,419 tonnes.

The total break bulk import trade amounted to 1.17 million tonnes. This was over 100 percent more than was obtained in the 2013 review period.

Other items in this trade include iron, steel, plates, pipes which was 602,689 tonnes; bagged sugar had 298,822 tonnes; bagged rice recorded 152,389 tonnes; and bagged cement had 116,216 tonnes.

The the country’s maritime export trade amounted to 1.1 million tonnes recorded for the first quarter of 2014, and this was shipped to various destinations in the world with the majority of items exported to the Far East and the North Continent ranges.

The Far East range received a total of 610,059 tonnes representing 53% of total export, while the North Continent range had a tonnage of 220,405 representing 19 percent of total export.

A total of 170,096 tonnes which amounted to 15 percent of the total export was shipped; while the Mediterranean range had 53,969 tonnes or 5 percent, the United Kingdom, North America and Africa ranges each had 3 percent.

Total transhipment and transit trade for the review period was 282,781 tonnes, comprising 267,422 tonnes of import items and 15,359 tonnes of export items.

The total transhipment and transit tonnage for the review period was 6 percent of cargo throughput and 17 percent more than what was recorded in the first quarter of 2013.

Transit trade during the review period amounted to 238,002 tonnes or 5 percent of cargo throughput, and was 15 percent more than was recorded in the first quarter of 2013. This is 84 percent of total transhipment/transit tonnage for the review period.

The share of transhipment and transit trade through the ports of Tema and Takoradi was 279,539 tonnes (99%) and 3,242 tonnes respectively.

The transit trade, which followed the transhipment/transit pattern, was 234,771 tonnes or 99 percent of total transit trade through Port Tema and 3,231 tonnes through Takoradi Port.