GPHA REDUCES STEVEDORING COMPANIES (PAGE 23, MAY 17, 2010)

THE Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has reduced the number of stevedoring companies allowed to operate at the Tema port as part of measures to decongest the port.
The action is also intended to facilitate the offloading of ships at the port.
Currently, the number of stevedoring companies operating at the port has been reduced from 18 to nine and the licences of stevedoring companies will be renewed annually to ensure that only the most effective are allowed to operate.
Addressing a press conference in Tema, the Director of Port of the GPHA, Mr Richard Anamu, explained that changes would also minimise loitering and redundancy in the absence of vessels at the port.
Mr Anamu explained that some shipping companies had expressed concern about the increasing number of stevedoring companies in the port, which could lead to ‘choking the port’.
He noted that the stevedoring companies operating in the port were on yearly renewable licence and therefore were selected based on laid-down criteria by the GPHA.
Mr Anamu stated that the quantum of projected traffic available to be stevedored each year was limited, a situation which called for limited number of stevedoring companies that could be licensed to operate each year.
He said the volume of traffic for stevedoring would remain unchanged and therefore did not need many companies in the port .
Explaining the role of dock workers in the port, Mr Anamu said dock workers were engaged based on the availability of vessels and were laid off after offloading.
He said the engagement of dock workers had brought many people into the port to do the same work which could be done with a limited number of stevedoring companies .
Mr Anamu said although GPHA recognised private participation, the company would not give all its operations to private companies only for it to suffer in future.
He said the outsourcing of some of the operations of GPHA adversely affected its finances and labour force gave an instance where 1,500 workers had to be laid off because the authority outsourced 67 per cent of its operations to private businesses.