Mr Kudjo Alepe Nyame, a Chief Revenue Officer at the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, in charge of Outdoor, Golden Jubilee Terminal, Tema Port, has revealed that shipping lines are still dragging their feet about operating 24-hour services.
Mr Nyame disclosed that “It is also significant to say that the … shipping lines are still feet dragging, a couple of them doing so well, but they don’t do the night.”
He revealed this when he joined other panellists on a Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority’s (GPHA) powered media forum, discussing the topic “24 Hour Port Operations: Assessing Implementation and Unlocking Potentials.”
He noted that such shipping lines were not available at night; therefore, if they were unable to resolve issues of clearance involving shipping lines before nightfall, it then meant that clearance could not be completed.
He added that for the 24-hour port operations to run smoothly in the evening, such challenges must be addressed.
The chief revenue officer observed that significant challenges in early stages of the rolling out of the 24-hour operations included stakeholders not coming onboard, as it took some time before most of them rolled on.
Touching on joint inspections, he said agencies that meet for joint inspections, such as the Food and Drug Authority, the Environmental Protection Authority, preventive and other ministries, departments and agencies, were collaborating very well to ensure timely delivery of service.
“We have been able to coordinate with them in order not to stall the work. As far as clearance is concerned, we are able to sail through and ensure that timely delivery of consignment is achieved,” he said.
Staffing-wise, he disclosed that there had been a significant increase; using the Golden Jubilee Terminal as an example, he said hitherto, when they were operating only straight days, they had 20 staff and three supervisors, adding that the number had increased threefold to around 60 and more.
According to Mr Nyame, officers had been put into shifts, where they work three days day, three days night, and three days off, adding, however, that they were a bit constrained, though, and had therefore requested for junior officers to be brought onboard to reduce the stress on senior officers who do the examinations.
He commended the management of the GPHA for operationalising the 24-hour service and appealed for the revamping and refurbishment of shed 10, as it was one of the offices that could ensure the efficient delivery of the service.
Source: GNA
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
