The Ghana Ports and Harbours has with effect from today, Monday, March 1, 2021, rolled out a new tariff for services rendered to shipping lines at the seaports. This is according to Esther Gyebi-Donkor, the General Manager in charge of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at GPHA, who while speaking during an interview revealed that the new tariff regime applies to containerized cargo for port dues, stevedoring, cranage, and terminal handling (empty container).
GPHA is set to increase the tariffs on an average of 15.74% for a 20-footer container and 16.81% for a 40-footer container. GPHA has unveiled that its new tariff adjustments will only target shipping lines in a bid to raise more revenue that will in turn be used to settle the loans secured to build the Terminal Three of the Tema Port and other port infrastructure.
“With effect from Monday, March 1, the GPHA has reviewed a few tariff items for its vessel handling on containerized cargo and it is targeting shipping lines and not importers or exporters directly… Implementation of the additional upward revision of the port tariff was supposed to have taken off in October 2020, but because of the public outcry, it was shelved,” Mrs. Gyebi-Donkor stated before on to say, “We are aware that the world, including Ghana, is facing the COVID-19 pandemic at the moment, but whatever facilities needed to improve business activities at the ports are still being provided and so, we need this tariff review to be implemented to recover the investments and prepare for the future when the equipment installed deteriorate.”
The move by GPHA to increase port tariffs has however met a storm of opposition as the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) and Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) have through the Ministry of Transport (MoT) petitioned the government to immediately suspend the proposed review for further consultations.
GPHA Implements New Port Tariffs
