The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has rejected claims that congestion at the Tema Port is solely responsible for the recent increase in cement prices.
The Authority said the cost of importing clinker and cement into Ghana was influenced by a range of operational and commercial factors and could not be attributed to port congestion alone.
The clarification follows claims by the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers, Ghana (COCMAG), which linked recent increases in cement prices to congestion at the Tema Port.
In a statement, the GPHA explained that berth allocation at the port was influenced by safety and hygiene considerations, particularly the need to separate cement and clinker operations from food-related cargo such as rice and wheat.
The Authority said recent dredging had increased the depth of Berths 13 and 14, enabling cement manufacturers to receive larger vessels and potentially benefit from economies of scale.
It, however, identified inadequate trucking capacity as another factor that could prolong vessel stays at the port.
According to the GPHA, vessels carrying about 40,000 tonnes of clinker could occupy berths for between three and four weeks when cargo evacuation was delayed.
The Authority urged cement manufacturers to adopt modern cargo-handling systems being introduced at the Tema Port to improve discharge rates, reduce vessel turnaround times and ease pressure on berths.
It said cement pricing should be assessed within the broader supply chain, including vessel planning, trucking, cargo handling, port selection and inland transportation, rather than attributing price increases solely to port congestion.
Meanwhile, the Ministers of Transport and Trade, Agribusiness and Industry are expected to meet at the Tema Port in the coming days to explore measures to create additional berths for vessels carrying clinker.
The move is part of efforts to ease congestion and reduce delays in cargo clearance.
The congestion has reportedly delayed the clearance of clinker, resulting in demurrage charges for cement manufacturers.
The additional costs have been cited as one of the factors contributing to the recent GH¢12 increase in the price of a bag of cement.
The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, speaking on The Point of View on Channel One TV, said the Tema Port was under severe pressure due to limited space and increasing cargo volumes.
He said cement manufacturers were seeking additional berthing space to enable vessels carrying clinker to be discharged and cleared more quickly.
“The Cement Manufacturers, their problem is that we have allocated two berths for them. They want more berths so that their clinker comes, they will be cleared quickly. As I mentioned, the containerized cargo has also increased,” he said.
According to Mr Nikpe, the increase in containerized cargo had created competition for limited space at the port, necessitating the identification of additional areas to allocate to cement-related cargo.
He said he would be visiting the port with the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, to examine potential areas for allocation to facilitate the clearance of cement raw materials.
“There’s competition for space at the port to be able to serve all our importers. Friday, myself and the Minister for Trade, Honourable Elizabeth, will be going to the port to see how we can also see which of the areas we can cede off to support the clearance of the cement raw materials that they are importing,” he said.
Mr Nikpe said the objective was to prevent cement manufacturers from incurring additional costs arising from delays at the port.
The Transport Minister also disclosed that the GPHA had been instructed to procure two additional cranes to improve cargo-handling operations at the port.
“I also instructed the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority for them to acquire two cranes that will be able to load and offload quickly so that all the ships or all the shipping lines coming in with cargo would not have any issue in terms of delay that would have caused them to pay demurrage any longer,” he said.
He said the additional equipment would augment the existing cranes at the port and help speed up loading and unloading operations.
“They are going to do an emergency acquisition of two cranes that will augment already what they have on the ground that will facilitate the loading and offloading of cargo, and it is believed that we will be able to decongest the port,” Mr Nikpe added.
The planned interventions come amid growing concerns over the impact of port congestion, vessel delays and demurrage charges on the cost of imported raw materials and, ultimately, consumer prices.
While the GPHA maintains that port congestion is only one of several factors affecting cement prices, the government is seeking additional berthing space and equipment to improve cargo evacuation and reduce delays at the Tema Port
