President commissions Tema Port Expansion Project …hints at ferry service along Gulf of Guinea

PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has disclosed that government was in talks with a private firm to establish a ferry service at the Tema Port to connect Ghana with other West African countries along the Gulf of Guinea and beyond.

“The ferries will carry vehicles, passengers and goods… If we have that service, it will help supplement sending cargo always by road. You can go by ferry with your goods to Nigeria (and other African countries),” he explained.

President Mahama said if executed, the ferry service would offer a safer and cost-effective transportation means while easing the pressure on the road. Government, the President said, would provide the necessary support to the private firm to ensure the project materialised to enhance transport and regional trade.

President Mahama made this known on Thursday when he commissioned phases one and two of the Tema Port Expansion Project.

Started in 2016, the US$1.5 billion port expansion project was executed in partnership with Meridian Port Services (MPS), the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), APM Terminals, and Africa Global Logistics.

According to President Mahama, the expanded port, which now makes it possible for the Tema Port to receive some of the world’s largest ships, is a demonstration of what could be achieved if the state partnered with the private sector.

He said the Tema Port Expansion project was one of the most ambitious investments in the maritime industry on the African continent and positions Ghana to compete globally in that space.

“This project is the realisation of a dream we have nurtured for years to establish Ghana as a gateway to West Africa. Today, that dream becomes a reality symbolising a national aspiration and international confidence.”

With the Africa Continental Free Trade Area headquartered in Ghana, President Mahama said the project was “more than a Ghanaian achievement. It’s an African statement.”

He said government would continue to invest in expanding Ghana’s port infrastructure to create jobs and position the country as the preferred port destination in the West Africa sub-region.

Chief Executive of MPS, Mohammed Samara, described the project as the most successful public-private partnership in Ghana’s history. He lauded President Mahama for his foresight in initiating the project, which aimed to make Ghana’s port competitive and open it up to the rest of the world. “We have successfully delivered on that vision.”

Spanning 127 hectares, Terminal Three of the expanded port features a 1,400-metre quay with four berths, designed to accommodate vessels with drafts up to 16 metres.

The waterfront is equipped with 12 3 ship-to-shore cranes while the yard operates 35 16 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes, six reach stackers and nine empty container handlers, including three electric units.

The container yard provides storage for up to 94,120 TEUs, supported by 1,420 reefer plugs, and offers an annual throughput capacity exceeding three million TEUs.

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