Workers of the Volta Lake Transport Company (VLTC) Limited, a subsidiary of the Volta River Authority (VRA), say they have detected plans by the Executive Director of the Bulk Oil Storage & Transport (BOST) and the Board chairman to vanquish VLTC.

The angry workers, who made this known in a press statement issued in Accra and signed by Victor Amoah, Local Union Chairman of the Marine and Dry Dock Workers Union of TUC, mentioned that if Dr Akoto and Alhaji Hudu Yahaya do not stay away from their company’s business, they would be forced to do the unthinkable.

“It has now been established that the management of BOST is making every move to liquidate the VLTC by secretly constructing a barge at Debre in the Central Gonja District in the Northern region.”

Noting that VLTC was established in 1971 by Act of Parliament, the workers said “if BOST wants to operate conveyance of petroleum products in its barges instead the of the VLTC preserved operation, then BOST should be ready to run all the other ferries of the VLTC and pay them their full entitlement of their engagement to date within twenty four hours including all other entitlement including housing and transportation of every worker of VLTC to their destinations.”

Addressing workers of the VLTC in Akosombo, Mr Amoah said after thorough investigations, it was established that BOST chairman Alhaji Hudu Yaya, Dr. Akoto and some few other BOST executives were operating under the color of the NDC office to liquidate a well established VLTC and throw them out of job at a time the NDC administration claims it was seeking to create jobs for the ordinary Ghanaian.

The workers further indicated that a South Korean ship builder, Worcon, was operating under the umbrella of BOST without paying any tax to the government and the people of Ghana.

This, according to the workers, was totally contrary to the work of BOST and VLTC, which has been mandated by law to convey petroleum products on a barge on the Volta Lake to Buipe for distribution to the three Northern regions including Burkina Faso by VLTC.

It said whereas BOST was to carry petroleum products from the Tema Oil Refinery through it underground pipelines to Maame Water near Atimpoku for onward pumping to Akosombo port and on barges for VLTC to convey them to Buipe, BOST has clandestinely refused to repair a broken pipeline for the past three years, thereby allowing private petrol tankers, most of which belong to them, to make money at the expense of the taxpayer.

“These among other things suggest atrocious manner and condition under which BOST wants to place the VLTC. It will be recalled that after the creation of the man-made lake at the end of the construction of the Akosombo dam, some German ship builders, well vested in building of barges to convey petroleum products on water established VLTC with the consent of the Volta River Authority which became the owner the VLTC. The successful operation on the lake with ferries by VLTC necessitated the VRA to put the matter before Parliament. As a result, a law was enacted to give VLTC the mandate to operate other ferries on the Volta Lake for the conveyance of numerous passengers along the banks of the lake and various island communities as well all on the Volta Lake in 1971.

Since then, VLTC and VRA have initiated several plans to offer ferry services and cutting of food items as well as cargo including tourist ferries on the lake.