By Richard Kofi Attenkah
The Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority (GPHA) has finally succeeded in retrieving a Ghanaian registered fishing vessel, MV Madamfo, owned by Ashanti Fisheries, at the Tema Port. The vessel sunk on Saturday, February 26, 2014, around 14:00 hours at berth four at the Tema Port.
At the time of the incident, the weight of the vessel, which had four hatches, two empty and the other two loaded with 70 tonnes of tuna, and other loose cargo was about 860 metric tonnes. Addressing members of the Tema press corps at Tema on Tuesday, Mr. Jacob Kwabla Adorkor, Director of the Tema Port, said the capsized vessel was simultaneously discharging 350 tonnes of tuna fish and loading 60 tonnes of salt, when the crew on board discovered it was taking in water.
According to him, the crew tried to seal the holes through which the water was flowing into MV Madamfo, but it was unsuccessful. Mr. Adorkor hinted that some foreign and local companies applied to be given the contract to salvage the sunken vessel, and fortunately, the port authorities decided to select a Ghanaian registered company, Jioe Complex Ghana Limited, which office is located in Tema Community Five.
The Director of Tema Port stated that they believed that by giving the local companies a little support and encouragement, they would be able to deliver, just like their foreign counterparts. He explained that some of the foreign companies, which applied to salvage the vessel, suggested that the plan should be to cut the vessel into pieces, which will take approximately six months to complete.
However, the management of Jioe Complex Ghana Limited disclosed that they had the expertise to float the vessel within a week for a fee of GH¢400,000, which was to be made available before the commencement of the job.
Mr. Adorkor disclosed that the salvaging of the vessel was done by a three-member team from the company, including, Mr. Lawrence Duho (leader), his partner, Nana Kojo, and Captain Sam Appiah, together with some marine and fire service personnel.
Explaining further, he said: “The vessel will be moved to a secured location at the Tema Drydock and observed for a day or two to ensure that it is safe to be towed through the access channel to the beach”.
Touching on plans to dredge the port, the Director observed that the dredger arrived in the country about a week ago, and work was currently ongoing, and that he was sure that the project would be completed as scheduled.
He revealed that the dredging of the port would cost the Authority about US$10,000. He said measures were being put in place to ensure that such an incident would not happen again, because at the time the incident happened, all the technical crew was in a meeting somewhere, and the people manning the berths knew nothing about the implications of the incident.
Mr. Adorkor urged Ghanaians to support our local companies, saying; “We have seen the capacity of the local companies, and it is about time we give them the necessary support to make them perfect”.