THE Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has put up a new refrigerated terminal with the capacity to hold 800 20-footer equivalent unit (TEU) containers.
The facility is a one-stop terminal for all refrigerated imported goods such as frozen foods and essential medicines.
The refrigerated terminal is part of the GPHA’s $2.5 million investment for the Tema and Takoradi ports’ 2020 port redevelopment agenda and has been fully automated to hasten processes and make them efficient for port users.
It will replace the existing facility which has inadequate holding space for refrigerated imports.
The new facility, which is outside the main Tema Port, will also lessen the decongestion at the port.
Best-performing port
The Director-General of GPHA, Mr Richard Anamoo, made this known in an interview in Tema after the GPHA was awarded for being the best-performing port in West and Central Africa last Monday.
It was adjudged the best in management best practices and security modernisation by the 16-member Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMWCA).
The terminal operator, Meridian Port Services (MPS), was also awarded for operating the best container terminal in the region.
A citation accompanying the award commended the management of the GPHA for the deployment of advanced technology in their operations, which had seen efficiency across the board.
Monitoring
According to Mr Anamoo, GPHA had modernised its operations, leading to the attainment of international standardised organisation’s (ISO) certification, ISO 9001/2008 of 2014.
He pointed out that the GPHA, in its quest to deal with security threats in the port environment, had deployed optical character recognition cameras to effectively identify intruders in the port area.
“We have similarly introduced computerised operating systems in marine and cargo operations and are further upgrading our infrastructure with the construction of a dry bulk cargo jetty to cater for cement clinker and wheat cargoes at $120 million,” Mr Anamoo recounted.
He further stated that the GPHA in 2013 and 2014 recorded the highest container volume of about 842,000.
Road Infrastructure
Mr Anamoo indicated that the port authority, in its quest to ensure good road infrastructure to link the port, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) on the redevelopment of the Tema-Accra motorway into a six-way lane.
He expressed the hope that the beginning of the project would be a turning point in port trade facilitation and also position Ghana’s port as a desired destination for business people across West and Central Africa.
Source: Graphic