The Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Mr. Michael Luguje has revealed that the Authority will be taking delivery of some two new mobile harbor cranes in the first quarter of 2021, to augment its fleet so as to provide better container handling services to customers at the Port of Tema.
According to him, the Port Authority is committed to delivering efficient port services to its stakeholders which include shipping lines that call the ports of Ghana.
The Director-General in a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Port of Keta, Dr. Alexander Adusei at the GPHA thanksgiving service also urged the staff of the Authority to continue to give off their best in the discharge of their duties.
He commended the President of the Republic for his swift intervention in ensuring that the handling of reefer containers at the port of Tema returned to GPHA.
“When the Ghana Revenue Authority argued that reefer containers were not secured enough within GPHA facilities and issued a directive for the containers to be handled by MPS at Terminal 3, the President once again listened to GPHA management and labour and intervened and today GPHA is handling fully all reefer containers and all other containers that are meant for Golden Jubilee Terminal,” he said.
The Director of Port of Tema, Mrs. Sandra Opoku said in spite of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on port business, the Authority through the tireless efforts of the Board, Management and Staff remained focused to pursue its vision of becoming the trade and logistics hub of West Africa.
“When reflecting on a worse situation, we still have to fight to learn something from it and be grateful,” she said.
She commended the stakeholders of the Port Authority for their immense contribution towards ensuring that port operations weren’t interrupted despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
She stressed the need for the port community to be thankful to God for the year 2020.
“The maritime industry, thankfully, was not so severely affected as we feared and God has blessed the work of our hands. Last year, GPHA handled more container vessels at terminal two 2,” she disclosed.
The annual thanksgiving service was to appreciate the goodness of the Lord for a successful year, 2020.
Despite the Covid-19 challenges that bedeviled the year 2020, the staff of GPHA shared the moment of worship and thanksgiving with other stakeholder organizations who have collaborated consistently with the Port Authority in the day to day activities within Ghana’s port and maritime industry.
Led by the Veteran Ghanaian female musical trio, Daughters of Glorious Jesus, the staff sang and danced away their gratitude in praises while enjoying some hymns from the GPHA Choir.