Ghana’s petroleum industry is expected to see a face lift with the completion of the new oil jetty at the port of Takoradi in the western region of Ghana.
The new oil jetty has been constructed by Ibistek Limited, an indigenous Ghanaian company, under a concession agreement with the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) to augment oil and gas trade in Ghana and in the west African sub-region.
GPHA under a concession agreement, mandated Ibistek limited, to construct a new oil jetty with a 50000DWT to replace the old oil jetty which was at -8.4 depth Ibistek limited, concessionaire of the Takoradi Port Expansion Project, says the construction of the 50000 deadweight oil jetty which is to replace the old one is completed and will be operationalized this month of June 2020, with its first commercial launch of discharging petroleum products taking place.
In an exclusive interview on MAP Focus show with Nana Esi Boateng, the Chairman of Ibistek Limited, Kwame Gyan Esq, says the oil jetty facility in Takoradi, is the largest, and the most modernized in the sub- region and will be a critical platform for the development of the oil industry in the Ghana’s western corridor.
The jetty has five product loading arms- Bitumen, LPG, AGO, PMS and HFO as well as modern safety and firefighting system, metering system, pigging launchers and a heat tracing system to the Bitumen and HFO lines.
According to Kwame Gyan Esq, the fully 300m length and -14m depth would be able to accommodate bigger vessels and also allow large volumes of petroleum products to be loaded and discharged at the port of Takoradi.
Benefits
The New oil jetty is operated as higher spectrum automated machine while the old is manually operated. It will be able to accommodate bigger vessels as compared to the old jetty.
Previously able to discharge about 20000tonns, the new automated oil jetty will be capable of handling quantities in excess of 80000tonns per day.
Having a total of 303meters along the reference line and a width of 75meters, it depth will also be increased to -14meters, berthing oil carriers between 5000 to 50000DWT.
Also, while the old jetty was discharging 20000tonnes in four days, the new jetty would discharge same in just 10hours. These dimensions make the new jetty, the largest, fastest and most modernized jetty in West Africa hence positioning Ghana as an oil and gas trade hub in West Africa.
Background
In July 2009, GPHA announced a multi -million-dollar project to rehabilitate and upgrade the Takoradi to include the reclamation and redevelopment of the old log pond into an oil services facility.
The oil service facility was to support the country’s offshore oil production. Other works that were to be included in the project were: dredging, paving works in the harbour, the construction of quay walls, construction of cocoa shed outside the harbour premises, construction of an oil berth of depth etc.
Ibistek limited won the concession to develop the container and multipurpose terminal Takoradi port project and in a separate agreement, took up the relocation of the oil jetty to augment the oil and gas trade in Ghana and the west African sub region.
