TEMA PORT TO FINE TRUCK DRIVERS ...(Page 13)

Rose Hayford Darko, Tema

The Tema Port has instituted fines on truck drivers who fail to leave the port and the Transit Truck Park (TTP) within a specified time as a means to pursue a decongestive exercise in and around the port.
Details of the fines have not been given but the Tema Port Public Relations Manager, Mrs Esther Gyebi-Donkor, told the Daily Graphic that they were heavy enough to deter the drivers from using the terminals as resting areas.
Some drivers especially those in transit to Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger contribute to the congestion at the port by refusing to leave for their destinations even after they have been loaded.
Mrs Gyebi-Donkor told the Daily Graphic at the port that in previous times, the trucks were allowed to park in the inner perimeters of the port while they waited for documentation to be completed and loaded. This, she said, resulted in congestion.
Mrs Gyebi-Donkor stated that the Port Management took into consideration the numerous clearing difficulties and their related economic problems that congestion created and, therefore, initiated policies to decongest the port.
The port authorities, therefore, set up terminals outside the port and inaugurated the Golden Jubilee Devanning Terminal, as well as the Transit Truck Park (TTP).
She called on importers and transporters to adhere strictly to the recommendations made by the stakeholders to bring sanity into the port’s operations. Mrs Gyebi-Donkor said some of these new reforms put in place at the Tema Port had started yielding results and for the first time in six years since the reforms were initiated, the port was not congested at the close of the year 2007 compared to previous years.
The Tema Port was usually congested with human and vehicular activities with all available space filled with goods, making it easy for dubious businesses to thrive during festive seasons.
She said the port experienced an increased vessel traffic last year but the situation was contained because of the new arrangements.
She explained that all containerised goods including cars were handled at the Golden Jubilee Devanning Terminal where the importers went for their goods.
Mrs Gyebi-Donkor noted that there were some goods which were cleared straight onto the trucks, making it unnecessary for the trucks to queue at the port waiting to load.
She noted that apart from the Golden Jubilee Terminal there were other terminals located outside the main harbour which also offered similar services.
Mrs Gyebi-Donkor said that in the near future the Tema Port would become a first-class port with international acclamation in the sub-region.
She had high hopes for the port to satisfy the needs of stakeholders and make record times in ship turnaround to enable importers to pay less for handling and other port charges.
A visit to the port showed that the devanning areas that could contain imported goods and pedestrian movement within the port were restricted.
Some trucks had, however, turned an opening along the main Accra-harbour road into their waiting centres and sometimes this had posed danger to road users.