The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the immediate decommissioning of obsolete and inoperative machinery at the PSC Tema Shipyard Limited.

Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, EPA Executive Director, gave the orders during a working visit with other officials to the facility in Tema.

He said the equipment was huge and could not be disposed of without initiating appropriate measures.

Dr Kokofu, therefore, directed PSC Tema Shipyard Limited to incorporate the processes of disposal and decommissioning of such machines into their environmental management plan for further action.

The Shipyard, one of the largest Shipyards and Dry-docks in Africa, was constructed by Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in 1968 for ship construction, fabrication, and maintenance.

Since its construction, some machines at the shipyard, which are currently non-operational, have become outmoded and left at the vagaries of the weather, and if not disposed of properly could be potentially hazardous to the environment.

Dr Kokufo is undertaking a three-day familiarization tour to selected industrial plants and sites in the Tema Metropolis and environs, to assess at first hand the level of environmental compliance and to create continuous awareness of EPA's monitoring and enforcement mandate.

He advised that some investments were needed to improve some of the workstations at the shipyard and the overall work environment of the company.

He also directed greening the area with the planting of more trees to serve as a buffer and ultimately enhance environmental safety.

He however commended the company for their operations and environmental regimes that had been put in place.

“I believe if the facility is given the needed attention, the country would not only rake in revenue, but also uplift the marine industry,” Dr Kokofu stated.

Mr Alexandra Adusei Junior, Chief Executive Officer, PSC Tema Shipyard Limited said: “We intend to do whatever necessary to ensure that all the regimes put in place by the EPA are adhered to for the safety of our employees and the wellbeing of the company”.

He however revealed that PSC Tema Shipyard needed serious injection of capital and investment to put the company in an even better position to compete globally.

As to our capacity, capability and skillsets, we still remain the largest in the sub-region as we have the necessary docs, slipways and equipment that can compete with other giants to give us a better turnaround even in spite of the challenges we encounter”.  

Mr Adusei assured that the management was committed to adhering to the safety and environmental standards and policy guidelines by the EPA to ensure collective safety.

The PSC Tema Shipyard was certified by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) for the quality of work carried out.