Apparently expanding its frontiers in West Africa, leading port concessionaire in Nigeria; APM Terminal has championed a group of investors to fund the development of a new terminal in Tema Port in Ghana.
The new facility is being promoted as a hub port in West Africa.
Ahead of its opening in June 2019, a total of seven ship-to-shore new Super Post Panamax and 20 RTG ultra-modern gantry cranes have arrived for installation at the Port of Tema.
A statement issued by APM Terminal yesterday added that the arrivals “are one of the final pieces of a $1.0bn investment by APM Terminals and its partners”.
The project is a joint venture between APM Terminals (35%) Bolloré Africa Logistics (35%) and the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (30%).
In addition, APM Terminal confirmed that its ambition along with its partners is to make the facility which is has Meridian Port Services as the vehicle company, to be the hub in West Africa.
“This new gigantic port infrastructure will be able to accommodate Ghana’s trade & industry growth as well as serving as the regional hub for West Africa and beyond. Expanding the port using superior infrastructure and modern, advanced technology will allow Ghanaian companies to compete for business in the most cost-effective way”, the APM Terminal statement added.
Speaking further on the project, it added that, “The breakwater and access channel, able to accommodate the world's largest container ships, and the first 2 deep-water berths are expected to be able to receive commercial vessels by the end of June 2019. Port infrastructure for receiving and delivering containers from/to shippers and consignees will also be ready. The third new berth will be operational in the first quarter of 2020, ahead of the scheduled completion in June 2020. A fourth berth will follow bringing the quay length to 1,400 m”.
It also acknowledged that the existing container facility, operated by MPS since 2007, has reached maximum capacity, adding that, “Tema’s new world-class port infrastructure will sup-port the country's economic growth, providing 3.5 million TEUs in annual throughput capacity when fully built out. More than 5,000 jobs have been created as a result of the project”.
The APM Terminal also noted that the huge investments in the port facility, which is envisaged as a hub will greatly impact on the economy of Ghana and also attract further investments, create more employment, as well as enhance foreign exchange earnings.
“Having a Hub Port in Tema will steer Ghana Industry to be connected to the wider West Africa consumer markets in a more efficient way (direct services or shorter transit time and competitive sea freight rates). This is an important facilitation to the economy; attract investment in the trade & industry sectors to setup facilities/factories round Tema Port leading to job creation, increased trade and higher foreign exchange earnings”, it added.
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