The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has urged exporters to take advantage of the commencement of a full 24-hour Ghana ports operation service to clear their cargo on time.

 Brigadier General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono, the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), who advised a media interaction, said doing so would help them to avoid unnecessary costs such as rent and demurrage.

 He said early clearance would also help decongest the port, as cargoes would be cleared faster due to the 24-hour operation at the Tema and Takoradi ports.

 Brigadier General Tanye-Kulono explained that the GPHA was currently putting in place measures to decongest the ports and enhance operational efficiency in support of the government’s 24-hour economy policy.

 Therefore, early clearance of goods would reduce the risk of accumulating demurrage and ultimately lower the cost of doing business at the ports.

 “When your containers arrive, as much as possible, try and clear them early. Don’t wait until three to four days when demurrage starts to build up and then you all rush here,” he said, adding that “Now we are operating 24 hours, both day and night, so take advantage.”

 The Director-General revealed that significant strides had already been made to reduce container congestion at some key terminals and noted that when he took over the management of the port some few months ago, there was a backlog of over 5,800 containers at Meridian Ports Services (MPS).

 He said his outfit had successfully reduced the number to less than 1,000, with current figures around 520, with most of them being excavators.

 The reduction was achieved through the strategic leasing of trucks, a move necessitated by the unreliability of third-party transporters, he said.

 “We couldn’t depend solely on third-party trucks, so with the support of the Transport Ministry, we leased trucks to move containers swiftly,” he explained.

 Brigadier General Tanye-Kulono stated that GPHA was working closely with MPS on completing a link road between MPS and Terminal 2 to facilitate smoother cargo movement, a project that is 90 per cent complete and expected to drastically cut down on container transit time within the port enclave.

He stated that to operationalise the 24-hour economy, GPHA had invested in operational logistics, including 45 leased pickup trucks and staff buses to ease transportation for port workers.

 Further, his outfit was collaborating with other stakeholders to ensure round-the-clock presence at the ports, he said, indicating that “One of our main challenges is the absence of some stakeholders at night. We are engaging with them to ensure their continuous presence, especially during the night operations.”

 Brigadier General Tanye-Kulono reiterated his commitment to discipline, fairness, and efficiency, assuring stakeholders and staff that GPHA was poised to become more customer-friendly and responsive.