The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has entered into a joint venture agreement with Ibistek Crowley for the construction of a 7500TU off-dock container terminal at the Takoradi Port.

The container terminal, when completed, is expected to help decongest the port and improve greatly the handling of containers at the port while allowing sufficient space within the precinct of the port to be used for other equally important activities that will generate extra revenue for the ports.

The site year marked for the project is the old Prime Wood area within the Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolis

During a press interaction, the Director of Takoradi Port, of the GPHA Captain Ebenezer Afadzi who disclosed this said some 97,000 square metres of land had been reclaimed for the terminal.

He added that GPHA would also construct a floating dock to enable ships and supply vessels that berthed at the port to repair any fault they may encounter.

The Takoradi Port according to Capt. Afadzi was partnering Ghana Cement Manufacturing Company to construct a spacious car park at the Old Slaughter House at New Takoradi to ease traffic congestion while they had completed a 1.08 kilometre breakwater with a 16 metre depth that would enable larger vessels from the West African Sub-region to berth without any difficulty, thus achieving its vision of becoming a one-stop -shop for oil and gas services.

On the ongoing expansion works at the port, he noted that it will enable a single large vessel to load 120,000 metric tonnes of cargo at a go, against the 40,000 handled by a vessel now.

“Let me say that the successful completion of the port expansion works would improve the turnaround time and eliminate double handling of cargo and drastically reduce the cost of doing business at the facility.”

“And this also will create employment for the youth in the metropolis, accommodate larger vessels and become the preferred destination for shipping companies in the West African sub-region and end the stowaway that our youth are heavily involved in,” he added.

Other projects that the port is engaged in is a collaboration with the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) to construct an oil tank farm with a 13,500 litre capacity for marine diesel oil so that vessels that berthed at the port could refill their tanks.

Capt. Afadzi said Sub-Sea Seven Company, which was awarded the contract to construct fabrication yard at the port, had so far undertaken fabrication works and welded vital oil and gas equipment for some oil companies operating on the oilfield.

He disclosed that for instance the ‘Shed Four’ had been demolished and in its place constructed a storage facility for ENI’s equipment, therefore, making the port a one-stop for oil and gas services.

The Takoradi Port which was constructed in 1928, in recent times since Ghana found oil has been witnessing major expansion works to render modern services to its clients and become the preferred destination for vessels in the sub-region.

Already the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Government secured an initial loan facility of 197 million Euros from the Belgian Government for expansion of the Takoradi Port.

Parliament also in January this year also approved another loan facility of 160 million Euros for the second phase of the expansion works which would be completed in the next two to three years.