By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Tema, Nov. 02, GNA – Ghana’s overall cost of importing cargo from origin to final destination remains about 200 dollars lower than that of some competing West African countries, despite relatively high local port charges.
Dr Adam Imoru Ayarna, an Executive Member of the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG), revealing this, said a proper assessment of port competitiveness should consider the total landed cost of cargo, rather than isolated charges imposed at individual stages of the shipping process.
Dr Ayarna, speaking at a media engagement on Ghana’s port ecosystem, powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), said the overall cost comparison included charges at origin, ocean freight and other associated expenses, including local handling charges.
He noted that when these components were considered together, Ghana’s total cost was about 200 dollars lower than that of competing countries, including Nigeria.
He said although some charges at Tema were higher than those at ports such as Lomé and Abidjan, the overall cost of moving cargo to its final destination presented a different picture.
Dr Ayarna said shipping involved several cost components, including origin charges, documentation fees, agency fees, terminal handling charges, ocean freight and adjustments arising from fuel prices and currency fluctuations.
He explained that shipping lines incurred additional expenses in repositioning empty containers, transporting them to off-dock facilities and handling them after cargo examination.
He said such costs were part of the wider shipping process and needed to be considered when assessing the charges imposed on importers and exporters.
Dr Ayrana urged stakeholders to use comprehensive cost data when discussing port competitiveness and developing policies to attract more shipping and transshipment business to Ghana.
He also called for improvements in port infrastructure and operational processes to reduce delays and strengthen the country’s position as a maritime hub in the sub-region.
Narrowing the discussions on maritime services, he said some marine and container-handling services at the Tema Port, however, were higher than those at selected West African ports, raising concerns about Ghana’s competitiveness as a regional maritime hub.
He said a comparison of charges for a vessel of about 53,000 gross tonnage showed that its marine-related costs at Tema amounted to approximately 53,000 dollars, compared with 12,500 dollars at Lomé in Togo and about 28,000 dollars at Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, while the corresponding cost at Nigeria’s Apapa Port was about 64,000 dollars.
The SOAAG Executive Member said the comparison also showed differences in stevedoring charges for container handling.
For a 20-foot import container, he said the charge at Tema was approximately 346 dollars, compared with 155 dollars at Lomé, 126 dollars at Abidjan and 474 dollars at Apapa.
For a 40-foot import container, the corresponding charges were about 613 dollars at Tema, 228 dollars at Lomé, 206 dollars at Abidjan and 196 dollars at Apapa.
He said export container charges also showed differences, with a 20-foot container costing about 327 dollars at Tema, compared with 155 dollars at Lomé, 240 dollars at Apapa and 126 dollars at Abidjan.
For a 40-foot export container, he quoted approximately 582 dollars at Tema, 228 dollars at Lomé, 351 dollars at Apapa and 206 dollars at Abidjan.
Dr Ayarna said the figures highlighted the need for Ghana to examine the various cost components associated with port operations and assess their implications for trade and shipping competitiveness.
He also questioned the continued application of some handling-related charges, particularly where the equipment and services that originally justified them had since changed.
He said Ghana needed to review its port processes, infrastructure and charges to strengthen its position as a preferred destination for shipping and transshipment activities.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Email: [email protected]