The Bulk Road Vehicle (BRV) Parking Terminal and Resting Room for tanker drivers, constructed by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has been inaugurated in Tema.

The BRV Parking Terminal was officially inaugurated by Mr Isaac Osei, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), on behalf of Mr John Peter Amewu, the Energy Minister.

Construction of the Terminal commenced in June 2014, to provide safe and decent parking for tankers aimed at eliminating the safety risk posed by indiscriminate parking of BRVs along the road leading to the Tema Oil Refinery and other depots in the area.

Mr Amewu, in a speech read on his behalf, recounted that in the absence of a parking lot, the tanker drivers had resorted to parking the BRVs along the roads.

He said the parking of BRVs, sometimes loaded with petroleum products, posed a serious health and safety risk to life and property.

The Minister, therefore, commended the NPA for the laudable project.

He said the Government was committed to ensuring the regular supply of petroleum products to all parts of the country through a cost-effective and efficient distribution system.

“It is, however, not very exciting to note that about 98 per cent of the petroleum products used in the country is moved by road transport and despite its flexibility of delivering petroleum products, there are significant constraints associated with transporting petroleum products by road”.

He said road transportation of petroleum products involved high cost, acceleration of the wear and tear of existing road infrastructure from heavy vehicular movement and increase in road accidents.

Mr Amewu said it was, therefore, important that the country developed the other modes of transport like rail, water and pipelines to be integrated into the distribution system to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, stating that the Government had taken up the challenge.

He said the issues of the limited capacity of the Volta Lake Transport Company to transport petroleum products would be resolved by the possibility of a rail line between Tema and Kumasi, and the rehabilitation or replacement of pipelines from Tema to Akosombo.

He lauded the Tanker Owners Union and the Tanker Drivers Union for their invaluable contribution to the distribution of petroleum products in the downstream sector.

He said the Government would do all within its power to ensure a conducive atmosphere for their businesses and operations.

Mr Alhassan Tampuli, the CEO of the NPA, said the construction of the parking terminal was a demonstration of the commitment to improving standards in the petroleum downstream industry.

He urged the tanker drivers to be more safety conscious by observing road traffic signs, and avoid all activities that led to accidents such as reckless speeding, dangerous over-taking particularly in sharp bends, and hilly areas, and urged them to avoid night driving and use of mobile phones while driving.

He assured the Tanker Drivers Union that NPA would continue to create an enabling environment for the operations of the transportation section of the petroleum downstream industry.

Mr James Ahiadome, the Chairman, Tanker Owners Union, expressed gratitude to the NPA for providing them with the BRV Parking Terminal.