Importers propose empty container depots to ease port congestion

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana has proposed the establishment of dedicated holding depots for empty shipping containers to ease congestion at the ports and reduce operational costs for businesses.

The Association’s Executive Secretary, Samson Asaki Awingobit, said suitable sites along the railway network could be developed into storage facilities where empty containers would be kept until shipping lines require them.

He made the proposal during a courtesy call by the Association’s leadership on the Ghana Railway Development Authority.

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Awingobit said limited space at existing empty container terminals was contributing to delays and increasing costs for importers and truck operators.

“That is the way to go. You can always send the empty containers there and bring them when the vessel is ready,” he said.

He explained that some truck operators are forced to wait for days before returning empty containers because existing terminals lack sufficient space to receive them.

The delays, he said, result in truck retention charges and higher transportation costs, which are eventually passed on to consumers through increased prices of goods.

He noted that dedicated holding depots would provide alternative locations for receiving empty containers, ease pressure on port facilities and improve container management.

The Association also advocated greater integration of rail transport into the country's freight system to facilitate the movement of cargo between the ports and inland destinations.

According to Awingobit, increased use of rail services would reduce dependence on trucks, ease pressure on the road network and improve the efficiency of cargo transportation.

He urged the railway authority, port operators and shipping lines to collaborate in developing practical solutions to the challenges confronting freight movement.

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He reaffirmed the Association’s willingness to support efforts to improve the country’s transport and logistics sector but stressed that it would hold the relevant institutions accountable for their commitments.

DR/MA

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