President John Mahama has hinted that government will begin the process of establishing a national shipping line this year.

He said this as part of plans to improve marine trade and transport between Ghana to other parts of the world.

The President made the promise during a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the Ghana National Window System in Accra.

The Ghana National Window system is expected to reduce the cost and transaction time at the ports by 50 percent.

A couple of decades ago, the country used to own its own vessels through the national shipping line known as the Black Star Line (BSL).  

The BSL owned lots of vessels that embarked upon regular sailing schedules around the world.

In the late 70s, the BSL owned some of the top 16000 tonner vessels that use to export goods like cocoa from the Tema port to other countries.

The Black Star Line, however, couldn’t stand the test of time due to some operational challenges.

The absence of a national shipping line means goods would have to be carried by private shipping lines who sometimes charge exorbitant bills.