Tema Shipyard requests US$50m for infrastructure upgrade     

By Wisdom JONNY-NUEKPE

Management of PSC Tema Shipyard says the facility is in great need of a significant infrastructure upgrade, requiring an investment of US$50million for complete rehabilitation work.

Chief Executive-PSC Tema Shipyard Osman Sulemana was addressing media during a familiarisation tour of the facility by Deputy Minister of Transport Dorcas Affo-Toffey, saying the investment is critical to revitalising the shipyard’s facilities and bringing it up to international standards.

He also said this rehabilitation is crucial considering the need for a 24-hour economic strategy to maximise productivity.

Appealing for government to prioritise redevelopment of the shipyard’s drydock  to restore its aged infrastructure, he argued that the facility is yet to see any major rehabilitation since it was built more than sixty years ago.

The facility services various types of vessels from the sub-region, according to the CEO, and could generate significant revenue for government if capital investments are made.

“We will need a minimum of about US$50million to revive some of the aged infrastructure, but more money will be required if a total modernisation of the shipyard is to be done” he said.

He lamented the yard’s poor infrastructural state since its establishment, explaining that successive governments have not been able to put in the necessary investments to develop the shipyard’s entire value chain in terms of its aging infrastructure.

Expressing optimism about the yard’s future, Mr. Sulemana revealed that the president is working on securing support for its revival.

“President Mahama is comitted to developing the shipyard. In the coming years, I’m hopeful that we will be able to revamp the shipyard’s entire value chain. It is not only the drydock, we also have fabrication, shipbuilding and others.

“I know the president is working on securing financing to rehabilitate the place. That was one of the major topics discussed with investors in his recent visit to Singapore,” Sulemana said.

He said Tema Shipyard occupies a strategic location in West Africa and happens to host one of the biggest docks in the sub-region

The facility currently hosts two drydocks, with the largest dock measuring 277 metres in length and 46 metres in width; the smaller one measures 106 by 12.6 metres.

With a staff strength of 85, Mr. Sulemana said the facility provides more than 400 indirect jobs in the Tema enclave.

PSC Tema Shipyard services vessels from several African countries, including Nigeria. Depending on the repair needs, vessels may spend between two weeks and over six months in drydock.

In her response, the Deputy Minister for Transport expressed the ministry’s resolve to ensure the shipyard’s revamp.

According to her, facilities such as the shipyard are part of government’s agenda to deepen infrastructure for industrialisation and job creation in the maritime sector.

The minister also visited the Regional Maritime University and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as part of the tour.

The post Tema Shipyard requests US$50m for infrastructure upgrade      appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story