2019 saw the start of construction in Ghana of the $475 million multipurpose Atlantic Terminal Services on-dock facility at the Takoradi Port. The Ghanaian government’s strategy for making Ghana a transshipment hub for the West African Sub-region included expanding Takoradi Port.

A joint venture (JV) between the ingenious Ghanaian company Ibistek and the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA) was to carry out the project on an EPC basis. Technical consultation was provided by the Royal Haskoning DHV.

On August 2nd, 2019, Takoradi held the project’s initial launch. The port basin was dredged to a depth of 16 meters, and the project’s scope included building a 600-meter quay wall with the pavement.

To accommodate larger vessels, land reclamation would also be used to build five extra berths. The first phase was anticipated to cost $200 million and be finished within two years. When completed, the Atlantic terminal was expected to be able to accommodate 1,000,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo (TEUs).

Reported on Oct 19, 2015

Ghana: Takoradi port expansion project to be done by March 2015

The dredging of the Takoradi Port in Ghana is to be completed by March this year to allow other works to begin at the Port. This was confirmed by Captain James Owusu-Koranteng, Director of the Takoradi Port. The port dredging, which is being carried out by Nicolo Machiavelli has been in progress since 7th January.

The port expansion project involves the reclamation of a land area of 53,000 hectares, dredging of an access channel, construction of a bulk terminal, and construction of an oil services terminal. Meanwhile, the residing community has been engaged in safety and security matters concerning the project.

According to Captain Owusu-Koranteng, the port expansion project is budgeted to cost US$228.28m and at the moment, 80,000 cubic meters of work has already been completed, with wall crowning and filling, to be part of the works expected to follow in the process of expanding the port.

The project is expected to last up to 2016, to open the doors of the port to bigger new generation ships and thus more cargo to foster economic growth.

The contract was awarded to Messrs Jan-de-Dul, a construction firm from Belgium to oversee the dredging works. The port expansion project is also expected to improve the turnaround time and eliminate the double handling of cargo. Other projects that were part of the expansion such as the construction of a new oil and gas terminal were expected to be completed earlier.

Reported on November 19, 2015

Construction of new oil and gas terminal at Takoradi port in Ghana set for June

Construction work for the new oil and gas terminal at Takoradi Port in Ghana, which is part of the ambitious port expansion project, is expected to commence in June 2014.

According to the Director of the port, Captain James Owusu Koranteng, work on the new oil and gas terminal is progressing steadily and chances are the construction will be completed ahead of schedule.

A Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport visited the site last week and it was satisfied with the work done so far. At present, the Port which is Ghana’s oldest seaport does about 30% of imports and 70% of exports of cargoes that are considered to be of less value.

Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority viewed the opportunity of the oil and gas found in 2007 and the subsequent exploration of the resource as a fine opportunity to get the once vibrant port, back on its feet and make it the services hub for the black gold industry. Ghana Oil Company (GOIL), Viking, and Haliburton, have erected facilities to provide oil and gas services at the port.

Due to the economic growth and the oil discoveries, existing port facilities are pressurized to accommodate the increase in traffic, especially in supply vessels that ply between the port and the oil fields. According to the GPHA, total traffic at the Takoradi port rose by 32 % to 5.3mn metric tonnes in 2012.

Earlier in 2013, the Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA) had appointed China Habour Engineering Company to complete the first phase of the expansion of the Takoradi port. This included the extension of the main breakwater by 1.5km northward, provision of facilities to handle bulk commodities, dredging of access channels, and reclamation of the land area of 53,000 hectares.

In late 2013 Belgian engineering firm Jan De Nul Group (DJN) commenced the next phase of expansion of the port in Ghana, to transform it into a logistics hub in West Africa. The first and second phases of the expansion have been estimated to cost US$344m. The project, which was inaugurated by Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, has been scheduled for completion in 2016.

Reported on May 5, 2016

Marine gas oil tank terminal for Takoradi Port in Ghana to be constructed

Takoradi Port in Ghana has received a major boost following the move by Ghana Oil Company to construct a modern marine gas oil tank terminal to serve as a supply point for vessels at the port. Ghana’s government is eying to transform Takoradi Port into an oil hub in the West African sub-region.

The 4.5-million capacity marine gas oil tank farm project is being financed by the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL). The company will serve as a bunkering terminal to berth import tankers with bunker fuel for vessels at the Takoradi Port.

The bunker industry refers to the supply chain segment that provides fuel for vessels. Takoradi Port lacks vital services forcing the visiting vessels to travel to Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire for bunkering services.

Murray and Roberts, a South African construction firm, is responsible for executing the project. However, the project is expected to begin commercial operations by the end of this year.

Takoradi Port acting Director, Capt. Ebenezer Afedzi together with GOIL officials conducted an inspection tour of the project site indicating that besides the project raising revenue for Goil and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the facility will also reduce the operational cost of shipping companies.

“A lot of vessels are knocking on the doors of the GPHA to be able to carry out bunkering services at the Takoradi Port,” said Capt.  Afedzi. “We hope the contractors working on the project will be able to finish on time,” he added. Capt.  Afedzi also assured their clients of high-quality vessels to become the one-stop port where vessels will always choose to be serviced.

Additionally, the facility will offer huge business prospects that can lead to the creation of a bunkering industry in the country. The completion of the project will see Ghana providing bunkering services at competitive prices to vessels calling at the various ports across the West African sub-region.

Mr. J.B. Tagoe, GOIL Technical, and Special Products Marketing Manager clarified that the quality of marine gas oil to be supplied to vessels will not be compromised. He added that GOIL will take over the bunkering business in the West African sub-region and quality will be key in operations.

Reported on September 5, 2016

Takoradi Port to become the preferred hub for oil & gas

Subsea 7 has begun the load-out equipment activities and the structures for Tullow’s TEN project given that the Takoradi Port has received a major boost as the preferred hub for Oil & Gas services for the entire West African subregion.

However, Subsea 7 has joined forces with the indigenous Belmet Ghana to work together at Subsea 7’s fabrication facility at Takoradi Port to deliver 2,000 tons of fabricated subsea structures that include the 25 suction piles and manifolds among other structures.

Moreover, the subsea fabricated structures were made by Ghanaian welders and fabricators specifically for the TEN project. The suction pipes and the manifold will be installed onto the seabed among other structures for the commencement of the oil and gas production.

According to the Takoradi Port Director, Capt. James Owusu Koranteng, the load-out activities will be supported mainly from the port as selected 18 vessels including the tug boats and barges will deliver thousands of tons of equipment and materials. Nonetheless, the Simar Esperanca, the vessel from the Subsea 7 will set the array that will enable all the construction vessels to be positioned with high accuracy for the structure installation and pipelay applications.

The Simar Esperanca vessel is expected to install small structures, and pre-commission flowlines right after the installation of the pipe-lay vessels, performing pre-lay and post-installation surveys, as well as completing the measurements for the flowlines, manifolds, and wells connections. The vessel will also operate from depths of 1,000 to 2,000m.

On completion, the project will turn the Takoradi Port into the most powerful pipelay and heavy lift vessel in the world. In the meantime, the port is currently providing support to the ENI’s Offshore Cape Three Point (OCPT) by offering berthing, drill water, waste management and pipelay yard facilities for the next 3-4 years providing a considerable source of revenue for GPHA Takoradi.

Reported on November 30, 2018

Ghana’s Takoradi Port to be developed into an oil and gas hub

The government of Ghana has announced plans to develop Takoradi Port into an oil and gas hub in the West Africa sub-region, following the government’s ongoing 3-year master plan.

Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance confirmed the reports during the presentation of the 2019 Budget and Economic Statement to Parliament in Accra, and said phase one of the dry bulk jetty with a 600-meter wall has been completed and the second phase of an additional 200-meter quay wall will commence in 2019.

Multi-purpose terminal container

Operation and development of an on-dock container with a container quay of the 16-meter draft have also begun. The multi-purpose terminal container will be of great help in accommodating bigger vessels.

The master plan developed in 2014 intends to improve the building of additional breakwaters, dredging of the access channel, construction of new berths including a bauxite, clinker, and limestone jetty, manganese, landslide side infrastructure, and building of a new offshore oil base. Reclaiming land, a floating facility, a shipyard, a 300-meter quay, and fabrication yards for light and heavy industries are also some of the plans put together in the master plan.

The Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority has viewed the oil and gas opportunity since 2007. The authority says that exploring the resource and making the port a service hub for the black gold industry is a sure way to get the port back to its vibrant feet after the port lost out on the transit trade.

The development of Takoradi port as an oil and gas logistics center is a result of a discovery made by Tullow of offshore oil and gas. To create more land, dredging backfill will be carried out at an established oil and gas-free zone oilfields service hub.

Takoradi which is Ghana’s oldest commercial seaport imports 30% of wheat, petroleum products, and containerized cargo. 70 % of exports are made up of bauxite, forest products, mining equipment, bagged, and cocoa beans.

Reported on August 14, 2021

An agreement signed for development of new shipyard at Takoradi Port, Ghana

An Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) agreement has been signed for the development of a new private shipyard at Takoradi Port, in Ghana.

The agreement was signed between Prime Meridian Docks Ghana Limited (PMD), West Africa’s newest repair and maintenance facility, catering to the needs of the maritime transportation, fishing, and offshore oil and gas industries, and China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), a Chinese company that provides integrated services for project contracting and investment in infrastructure projects such as maritime engineering, dredging and recharging, highway bridges, railways and rail transportation, aviation hubs, and related complete equipment supply and installation.

The former is the project developers while the latter will be in charge of the civil construction works on the facility whose works are expected to begin in March this year.

Project implementation 

The project implementation, whose works include the construction of workshops and a jetty of about 200 meters as well as a 200-meter floating dock among other amenities, is expected to be completed in 18 months at an estimated cost of US$ 49m.

According to Mr. Stanley Raja Ahorlu, the Managing Director of PMD, the project upon completion will have a significant impact on the economy, as it would improve the transport sector’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“The market is looking for a world-class facility within the West African region to address the needs of ship owners, especially in an era where almost every African country in the Gulf of Guinea is either developing or exploring for oil and gas.”

“The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has positioned the Takoradi Port as an oil and gas services hub and for that reason, the port needs all the relevant facilities which include a shipyard,” he explained.

Reported on December 16, 2022