T’di Port to provide services for petroleum industry

Management of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is feverishly re-developing the Takoradi Port to reposition itself to offer goods and services for the oil and gas Industry.

Among some of the measures taken, are the demolition and relocation of non-functioning offices, structures as well as reclamation of the sea through dredging to pave way for the creation of sufficient space for the oil/gas project.

Some of these structures are the Old Cocoa shed, Shed number four, Central Stores, Customs State Ware house, Sawn Timber Unit, Central Stores and Mechanical Shop, Captain James Owusu-Koranteng, Director of the Takoradi Port stated in Takoradi.

He made these known when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport, chaired by Mr Michael Bampong, MP for Bia West, paid a working visit to the port to assess the progress of work on the expansion project.

He said revenue generated from traditional export such as cocoa, timber and non-traditional products like palm kernel shells and bauxite, among others was minimal, therefore the port is directing its efforts in providing quality oil/gas services to enable it to become a world class port, dominant in the petroleum industry.

Capt. Owusu -Koranteng assured the nation that the Takordi Port has the capacity to provide all services needed to support the Oil/Gas industry, as this was a way forward to sustain the port, since depending on the traditional business alone is likely to collapse the port business.

To speed up the development, the Director said the GPHA has entered into a collaborative venture with some giant oil companies to provide innovative services to execute the task ahead.

The companies are Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), VIKING, and HALLIBURTON, which are providing various services like the desalination plant to provide fresh water, back up supply, fabrication, among others.

The Director said mindful of environmental issues, measures have been put in place to prevent disasters.

In that regard, a complex hospital equipped with modern facilities as Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) and scanner had been established.

An eight million Euro crane with a lifting capacity of 600 metric tonnes and other vital equipment have also been purchased for the industry.

On road rehabilitation, Capt. Owusu-Koranteng said the main roads linking the port would be repaired with the GPHA’s resources to facilitate the transportation of goods and services.

“In the face of these challenges, the Takoradi Port is bracing itself to handle the oil and gas business”, the Director stated.

Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee later toured the port and other facilities in the Ahanta West District.