AN Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) agreement has been signed for the development of a new private shipyard at Takoradi Port in Ghana.
The agreement was signed between Prime Meridian Docks Ghana Limited (PMD), West Africa’s newest repair and maintenance facility, catering to the needs of the maritime transportation, fishing, and offshore oil and gas industries, and China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), a Chinese company that provides integrated services for project contracting and investment in infrastructure projects such as maritime engineering, dredging and recharging, highway bridges, railways and rail transportation, aviation hubs, and related complete equipment supply and installation.
The former are the project developers while the latter will be in charge of the civil construction works on the facility whose works are expected to begin in March this year.
The project implementation includes the construction of workshops and a jetty of about 200 meters as well as a 200-metre floating dock among other amenities and is expected to be completed in 18 months at an estimated cost of $49 million.
According to Stanley Raja Ahorlu, the Managing Director of PMD, the project, upon completion, will have a significant impact on the economy, as it would improve the transport sector’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
‘The market is looking for a world-class facility within the West African region to address the needs of ship owners, especially in an era where almost every African country in the Gulf of Guinea is either developing or exploring for oil and gas.
‘The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has positioned the Takoradi Port as an oil and gas services hub and for that reason, the port needs all the relevant facilities which include a shipyard,’ he explained.
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