Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector remains one of the most strategic pillars of the national economy. Virtually every major sector of the economy depends directly or indirectly on an uninterrupted supply of petroleum products.

Transportation, mining, manufacturing, thermal power generation, aviation, agriculture, and logistics all rely heavily on a stable and efficient petroleum supply chain.

In modern economies, fuel security is national security.

Any major disruption in petroleum supply can trigger inflation, transportation instability, electricity challenges, food distribution disruptions, industrial slowdowns, and broader economic uncertainty. This is why many countries are increasingly treating petroleum import infrastructure as strategic national infrastructure rather than ordinary commercial assets.

It is against this backdrop that the Government of Ghana’s decision to construct a new mooring system in Tema must be viewed as both timely and necessary. The proposed project has the potential to significantly strengthen Ghana’s energy security architecture, improve downstream operational efficiency, reduce petroleum logistics costs, and position Ghana more competitively within the West African petroleum market.

The project must therefore be fast-tracked and treated as a national priority.

Ghana’s Petroleum Demand Continues to Grow Rapidly

Over the past two decades, Ghana’s petroleum consumption has grown significantly due to rapid urbanization, increased vehicle ownership, industrial growth, mining activities, aviation expansion, and rising thermal power generation needs.

At the same time, the shutdown and reduced operational capacity of domestic refining infrastructure (TOR) have increased dependence on imported refined petroleum products. This has placed enormous pressure on Ghana’s marine discharge systems, storage facilities, and downstream logistics network.

Today, a substantial portion of Ghana’s gasoline, gasoil, crude oil, and other petroleum products enters the country via offshore discharge systems, mainly in Tema.

Ghana currently has four mooring and discharge facilities for crude oil and petroleum products. These include the Single Point Mooring (SPM) and Conventional Buoy Mooring (CBM) operated by Ghana Petroleum Mooring Services Ltd (GPMS), as well as the Tema and Takoradi Oil Jetties.

The SPM has a water depth of approximately 22.0 meters, an allowable draft of 17 meters, and can accommodate tankers with a maximum capacity of about 155,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT). The facility is primarily used to discharge crude oil and reportedly handles approximately 341,160 metric tonnes annually.

The CBM, which serves as the primary discharge facility for white products such as gasoline and gasoil, has a water depth of approximately 18.0 meters with an allowable draft of 12.2 meters. It can receive tankers with a maximum length of 203.0 meters, a breadth of 32.2 meters, and a maximum capacity of 50,000 DWT. The facility discharges petroleum products through 12-inch hoses and 18-inch pipelines into storage terminals and handles over 3 million metric tonnes of petroleum products annually.

The Tema and Takoradi Oil Jetties also support petroleum operations. However, they are unable to receive the larger vessels commonly used in petroleum product deliveries within the West African sub-region. Although the Tema Oil Jetty is a multi-purpose terminal capable of loading and discharging petroleum products, it is generally not used to discharge gasoline and diesel.

This means that Ghana’s downstream petroleum supply chain remains heavily dependent on the CBM infrastructure to import gasoline and gasoil. This situation presents a major operational and national security risk.

The Global Energy Environment Has Changed Significantly

Recent global geopolitical events have exposed the vulnerability of petroleum supply chains and highlighted the importance of resilient energy infrastructure.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict disrupted global petroleum and gas markets, triggered supply shortages across several regions, and contributed to unprecedented fuel price volatility globally.

More recently, tensions involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, together with growing instability around the Strait of Hormuz, have once again demonstrated how fragile global petroleum trade routes can become during geopolitical conflicts.

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategic energy chokepoints, handling a substantial portion of global crude oil and petroleum product shipments. Any military escalation, maritime blockade, or disruption in that corridor immediately affects global oil prices, shipping costs, insurance premiums, and the availability of petroleum products across importing countries.

For countries like Ghana that rely heavily on imported petroleum products, these developments provide an important lesson.

Energy security can no longer be viewed only from the perspective of fuel availability. It must also include:

• Import infrastructure resilience
• Supply chain redundancy
• Strategic storage capacity
• Efficient marine logistics
• Emergency response capability

Countries that fail to invest proactively in resilient petroleum infrastructure risk exposing themselves to severe economic and national security vulnerabilities during global supply disruptions.

Persistent Congestion at the CBM Remains a Major Concern

One of the major operational challenges within Ghana’s downstream petroleum sector is congestion at the Conventional Buoy Mooring (CBM). The increasing volume of petroleum imports, coupled with the limited discharge capacity at the CBM, has created significant vessel-scheduling and operational challenges over the years.

To minimize congestion and ensure continuous product availability, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) implemented a laycan scheduling system to regulate the order in which Bulk Import, Distribution, and Export Companies (BIDECs) are permitted to access the CBM for product discharge.

Under this arrangement, specific discharge windows are allocated to BIDECs for the berthing and discharge of imported petroleum products into storage terminals.

While this intervention has helped maintain minimum national stock levels and improve coordination of vessel traffic at the CBM, the system has also created several operational limitations.

The current system exposes Ghana to a significant national security risk in the event of a prolonged technical failure, marine incident, or operational shutdown at the CBM. A major breakdown at the CBM could severely disrupt the national fuel supply within a short period.

This highlights the urgent need for additional marine discharge infrastructure.

Why the New Mooring System Is Critically Important

Improving National Energy Security

One of the strongest technical justifications for constructing a second mooring system for the discharge of Gasoil and Gasoline, like the CBM, is the need to improve national fuel supply security.

Currently, Ghana depends heavily on a single major CBM system for the discharge of imported gasoline and diesel products in Tema. This creates a dangerous single point of failure within the national petroleum supply chain. Any prolonged disruption to the existing system could significantly affect nationwide fuel distribution.

Potential operational risks include:

• Mechanical failure
• Marine hose damage
• Pipeline integrity issues
• Fire outbreaks
• Vessel collision incidents
• Severe weather conditions
• Maintenance shutdowns
• Maritime security threats

In petroleum logistics engineering, infrastructure redundancy is essential for ensuring continuity of supply. A second mooring system would provide an alternative discharge route during emergencies, maintenance shutdowns, or operational interruptions. This would significantly strengthen Ghana’s ability to maintain a stable fuel supply during crises.

Reducing Vessel Congestion and Demurrage Costs

One of the direct benefits of constructing an additional mooring system would be a reduction in vessel waiting time and exposure to demurrage. When discharge infrastructure capacity becomes constrained, petroleum vessels are forced to remain offshore for extended periods before obtaining berthing clearance. These delays result in demurrage costs, which are financial penalties charged by vessel owners for exceeding agreed discharge timelines.

These costs eventually become part of the petroleum supply chain cost structure and may indirectly affect the overall cost of fuel distribution.

An additional mooring system would:

• Improve vessel turnaround time
• Increase discharge throughput
• Reduce vessel waiting periods
• Improve discharge flexibility
• Improve supply reliability
• Reduce operational bottlenecks

From both technical and economic perspectives, the justification for expanding Ghana’s offshore discharge infrastructure is very strong.

Supporting Ghana’s Ambition to Become a Regional Petroleum Hub

The current Government’s 2024 manifesto outlines a broader national vision to position Ghana as a stronger petroleum and logistics hub within the West African sub-region through strategic infrastructure development and the modernization of the energy sector.

This vision cannot be achieved without substantial investment in petroleum import and marine discharge infrastructure.

Regional petroleum trade competitiveness depends heavily on:

• Efficient vessel discharge systems
• Modern port infrastructure
• Adequate storage capacity
• Reliable evacuation systems
• Reduced vessel turnaround time
• Operational reliability

If Ghana intends to attract greater petroleum transit trade, bunkering services, storage investments, and regional distribution activities, then expansion of offshore discharge infrastructure becomes unavoidable. The proposed new mooring system is therefore not merely a downstream operational project. It is a strategic economic infrastructure investment.

Strengthening Thermal Power Generation Reliability

Ghana’s electricity generation system still relies partly on liquid fuels, especially during periods of gas supply constraints or generation disruptions. Fuel supply interruptions can therefore directly affect the reliability of thermal power generation and worsen national electricity challenges.

A resilient petroleum import infrastructure contributes not only to transportation stability but also to the resilience of the national power sector. Energy infrastructure planning must always recognize the interdependence between fuel logistics and the security of electricity generation.

Supporting Industrialization and Economic Growth

Industrial growth requires a reliable fuel supply. Mining operations, heavy-duty transportation, manufacturing industries, construction companies, and agricultural mechanization all depend on stable access to petroleum products.

As Ghana’s economy expands, petroleum demand will continue to increase.

Import infrastructure must therefore expand proportionately to prevent future bottlenecks. No modern economy can sustain industrial transformation with constrained petroleum logistics infrastructure.

The National Security Implications Are Serious

Petroleum products are strategic national assets. History has shown that prolonged fuel shortages can quickly escalate into broader economic and social instability.

Fuel supply disruptions can affect:

• National transportation systems
• Food distribution networks
• Emergency response operations
• Industrial productivity
• Electricity generation
• Public confidence
• Inflation levels

For this reason, many countries classify petroleum import infrastructure as critical national security infrastructure. Ghana must adopt the same strategic mindset. The ability of a country to maintain an uninterrupted supply of petroleum during global crises is a key indicator of national resilience and preparedness.

The Project Must Be Fast-Tracked

Large strategic infrastructure projects in Ghana often face delays resulting from:

• Financing constraints
• Procurement bottlenecks
• Institutional disagreements
• Legal disputes
• Regulatory delays
• Political transitions

The proposed mooring system project must avoid these traditional delays.

Government, regulators, investors, bulk importers, terminal operators, and all relevant stakeholders must collaborate to accelerate the process. Delays in strategic petroleum infrastructure development carry significant long term national costs.

Conclusion

The proposed new mooring system at Tema is not simply another infrastructure project within the downstream petroleum sector. It is a strategic national investment that directly affects Ghana’s energy security, economic resilience, industrial growth, and national stability.

The current global energy environment has made one reality very clear. Countries that fail to invest in resilient petroleum infrastructure expose themselves to serious supply vulnerabilities during geopolitical conflicts and global market disruptions.

Ghana cannot continue to depend heavily on a limited discharge infrastructure while national petroleum demand continues to rise. The decision to construct a mooring system in Tema is therefore both necessary and forward-looking. It aligns with Ghana’s broader ambition to become a stronger petroleum and logistics hub in West Africa while improving national supply reliability and operational efficiency.

The project must now move beyond policy discussions and become a fully executed national priority.

Ghana’s future energy security may depend on it.

By: Engr. Adams Baba Adams, PMP®

The writer is an Energy and Fuel Quality Expert with over a decade of experience.