The shipping platform

Location: Tema serves as the port area for Ghana's capital, Accra, and is situated approx 25km along the coast to the E of that city, in the Gulf of Guinea. General overview: The port area is formed by two breakwaters, the main one being 2,000m in length and the smaller, the lee breakwater, 1,500m. Outside the lee breakwater to the NE are two fishing harbours, inner and outer, with separate entrances. Tema mainly handles container traffic, which includes transit containers to the landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The port has one of the largest drydocks in Africa. Imports: Alumina clinker, cereals, crude oil, electronic goods, iron and steel, plant and equipment, petroleum products, rice, sugar, vehicles and liquid bulk. Exports: Aluminium, cocoa beans, fruit/vegetables, nuts, liquid bulk, logs and sawn timber. Tema Port has a capacity of 21 berths with draughts ranging from 8.2 to 16m. Terminal 1 and 2 have 16 berths which serve as multipurpose berths excluding Valco and Oil Berth. Terminal 3 is a dedicated container terminal that currently operates 3 berths and capable of receiving ships of 366m LOA and16 metres draught. Traffic figures: Approx 2,000 vessels, 8,300,000t of cargo, 490,000TEU handled annually. Load line zone: Tropical. Towage is compulsory within the harbour. The Port Authority operates 5 tugs, 3 of which have a bollard pull of 60 tonnes, and the other 2 with a capacity of 80 tonnes bollard pull. All 5 tugs are fitted with fire-fighting systems. Transit IMO cargo is not allowed to stay in port overnight. Capacity of mobile cranes in Tema port: - Project cargo from 144tons @12-22m up to 46tons @54m - Twin lift of containers from 50tons @ 11-38m up to 27 tons @ 54m - Single lift of containers from 41 tons @ 11-45m up to 29 tons @ 54m - Big bag cargo using 8x2.1-ton big bag spreader per lift. Mobile cranes can be doubled for the heavy lift/ project cargo. Tema Port has 77200m2 of paved area for the storage of containers, steel products and other conventional cargo. The closed storage area, which is about 25,049m2 (2.51 hectares), consists of six (6) sheds with a total storage capacity of 53,000 tonnes of cargo.