New ship repair yard to be built in Takoradi, Ghana
Ghana is to get a new ship repair yard in its western port of Takoradi. The country already has the major repair yard of PSC Tema Shipyard in the east of the country (Source: Tema Shipyard)
Shipowners and operators with vessels that regularly trade in and around the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa, will soon have the ability to repair their vessels at a brand new ship repair yard to be built in the port of Takoradi, in western Ghana.
The new repair yard will be operated by Ghanaian company, Prime Meridian Docks Ghana Ltd (PMD) and will feature a 13,500 ton lifting capacity newbuilding floating dock, 30,000m2 of reclaimed land, a 200m repair jetty, modern workshops, offices and heavy marine equipment.
A consortium, including the African Development Bank, has signed an agreement to extend USD 94 million in senior debt funding to PMD for the construction and operation of the new ship repair yard in Takoradi. Other consortium members include the African Export-Import Bank, the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank and Petra Pension Schemes.
With this milestone, the new repair yard project, known as Project Shiprite the strategic location of this new repair yard will also generate intra-West African trade and stop shipowners having to make long voyages to other drydock locations in the region, some as far away as 5,500km.
PMD has Free Zones Service Enterprises status and a 25-year concession from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority to run the new yard.
No official start-up date for this new repair facility has yet been announced.
Ghana already has a major ship repair facility in its eastern port of Tema, PCS Tema Shipyard, which has two graving docks; one with a capacity of 100,000dwt and the second with a capacity of 10,000dwt.
Undergoing repair in the larger drydock on June 9th were two vessels:
- Island Sapphire (ex Marthas Pride)– 5,197dwt 2018-built OSV. New owners not known
- Bramante – 3,200dwt 2014-built OSV. Owners not known
