Shortage of berthing capacity at Takoradi Port is prohibiting deep-sea commercial vessels from calling at the port, says Mrs. Alice Torkornoo, General Manager in charge of business development at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.

The situation, she said, is no different from what is happening at Tema Port where vessels have to wait at anchorage for significant periods due to limited space.

The issue of limited space has been a major constraint to maximising the potentials of the country’s sea trade in recent years.

Mrs. Torkornoo, who disclosed this to journalists in Tema, however said that the port’s authorities are rolling-out various projects to help address the situation.

Some projects for Tema Port include dredging port basins and access channels as well as improving road-to-rail modal intersections for cargo exchange.

There will also be extensions in breakwater up to 3.6 kilometres; the port’s quay walls will go up to 2.8 kilometres, and there will be reclamation of 15 million cubic-metres of heavy-duty pavements.

Mrs. Torkornoo said the port will soon introduce the use of an electronic gate to regulate passage of goods, while consultations are ongoing for the intermodal road facility.

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has already signed an agreement with the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for work to begin on the first phase of the US$150million Takoradi Port Infrastructure Development Project.

Meanwhile, expansion works on the Takoradi Port are currently underway in earnest following the arrival of vital equipment for the project. When completed, the project is expected to position the port to receive bigger vessels, improve the turnaround time and eliminate double-handling of cargoes.

Two construction firms, Messrs Jan-de-Dul from Belgium and China Harbour Construction of China, are executing the three-year project. The first and second phases of the project are valued at US$344million.

Messrs Jan-de-Dul is responsible for the extension of the breakwater, the bulk jetty, dredging, as well as backfilling estimated at €197 million; while China Harbour Construction will be constructing the roads and superstructure, as well as stuffing the log pond at a cost of US$150million.