Tema Harbour-Accra (Ghana)

Tema Harbour is a port city in Ghana, located on Africa's Atlantic coast and in the Gulf of Guinea. The port (locode GHTEM) is approx 16 mi / 25 km east of Accra - Ghana's capital city. The metro area has population around 170,000. The Greenwich Meridian passes directly through Tema Harbour. The city is locally nicknamed "Harbour Town" because of its status as the country's largest seaport.

Tema City was built on the site of a small fishing village. The city was commissioned by Ghana's first president (Kwame Nkrumah) and grew swiftly after the construction of a big harbor in 1961. Today it is a major trading center and home to oil refineries and numerous factories. Tema is linked to Accra by a railway and highway. It is one of Ghana's 2 deep seaports, the other being Sekondi-Takoradi. In 1974 Tema became an Autonomous Council and was elevated to the status of Metropolitan Assembly in December, 1990.

Port Tema Ghana

On February 1, 2018, the containership company Hapag-Lloyd opened its new office in Tema Ghana, operated with 26 customer service staff. The move followed after West Africa reported a significant growth in 2016 and 2017, with GDP rising annually by 6% on average. At the end of 2017, Hapag-Lloyd established a fast shipping connection to Europe with 2 services:

• WAX (West Africa Express) linking Hamburg – Casablanca – Tangier – Dakar – Tema – Abidjan – Tangier – Antwerp – Hamburg
• MWX (Mediterranean West Africa Express) linking Tangier – Algeciras – Cotonou – Lagos – Tema – Tangier).

Tema is a call port of both services. Following an expansion project, by mid-2019, seaport's annual container shipping capacity was increased from 1 to 3 million TEU-containers. Among Ghana's most important exports are cocoa, timber products, cashew nuts.

The new port in Accra costs approx USD 1,5 billion. The multi-purpose facility is adjacent to the existing port, and increased its shipping capacity to 3,5 million TEUs a year.

In November 2017 started construction works on the new port and logistics hub, with scheduled opening in June 2019 and completion in June 2020. The new facility is managed by  UK's APM Terminals Inland Services Africa. It ensures port's access to roads and highways.

• Cars, container trucks and other heavy cargo vehicles use the two roads and the highway connecting Tema with Accra. This infrastructure handles around 70% of the country's trade.
• APM Terminals invested around USD 1,5 billion to support Ghana’s economic growth for the next 50 years.
• The new port has a total of 17 berths where can dock and be handled all types of marine vessels, including larger boxships.
• The project's road part was an additional investment of USD200-300 million.
• In 2015, Ghana’s economy expanded by 3.5%, and in 2016 - by 6.4%. In 2014, port's container cargo handling increased by 7,2%.

In early-March 2019, the port received its all 27 gantry cranes, including 7 Super Post Panamax STSs (ship-to-shore container cranes by Konecranes Finland) and 20 RTGs (rubber-tyred electric cranes). The STS cranes are among world's biggest, with height 89 m (134 m with raised boom), lift height 51 m (above rail), container outreach 66 m (up to 23 TEU rows, over 10 on deck) and max lifting capacity 65 tons (each). The equipment was part of USD 1 billion investment plan of the joint venture company Meridian Port Services, consisting of APM Terminals (35%), Bollore Africa Logistics (35%) and Ghana Ports Authority (30%).

The seaport has a large surrounding breakwater, deepwater entrance channel (allowing access to world's largest boxships) and 4 deep-water berths with total quay length 1400 m (4600 ft).

On April 30, 2020, Meridian Port Services Ltd announced the completion of "Phase 1" works of the "Terminal 3 of Tema Port" (port expansion project). Terminal 3 was inaugurated on June 28, 2019, with 2 operational berths. Phase 1 was initially scheduled for completion on June 28, 2020, but the works were completed ahead of schedule.

• The new basin in Tema Harbour was created on a 3 km (2 mi) long beach and built into the sea. From the land, the breakwater root extends 1550 m (5085 ft) into the Atlantic Ocean. The arm extends 2 km eastwards from the breakwater's root to the quay wall. The breakwater's total length is 3558 m (11673 ft). The structure now protects ~450 hectares (4,5 km2 / 1110 acres) of waterfront.
• The new basin is accessed through a 3,5 km long Entrance Channel, which has width 225 m (738 ft). The Tema Port's turning basin (swinging basin) has diameter 500 m (1640 ft) and water depth 18,7 m (61 ft).
• Following dredging works, the Port now can handle ships with max draft 16 m (52,5 ft) at all berths.
• Phase 1 works also included building a new wharf with 3 berths (total length 1 km) and a terminal facility (total land size 98 hectares / 242 acres) fitted with all standard docking service (drainage, sewage, water supply, fire, electrical, IT), paving works, back-up power station (12 MW), administration buildings, maintenance workshop, gates, fire plant,  sewage treatment plant.
• The container terminal has capacity to serve/plug 1400 reefers (refrigerated containers).

Accra City

The Accra Metro has total area approx 226 km2 (87 mi2) and is divided into 12 districts (11x municipal and the Accra District). The city was formed via mergers of neighboring settlements built around British, Dutch and Danish forts (mid-17th-century built). Accra was the capital of the Gold Coast (British Crown Colony on the Gulf of Guinea /1821-1957) in the period 1877-1957.

Accra is Ghana's economic and administrative center, and by population (over 4,2 million) is currently ranked Africa's 13th-largest metropolis. The CBD (city's central business district) houses almost all banks and shopping malls, as well as the Ministries (country's government administration) and several historic and residential districts (Usshertown, Tudu, Victoriaborg, West Ridge, East Ridge, Jamestown, Adabraka, Asylum Down, North Ridge, Christiansborg).

Large industries include fishery (commercial fishing and fisheries), agriculture, food processing, lumber/plywood, manufacturing (textiles, clothing), chemicals, construction, marketing, real estate, finance and insurance, tourism (arts and crafts, guided tours to historical sites, nightlife, hotels, restaurants, transportation), education.

Accra City is served by Kotoka Airport (approx 10 km / 6 mi from downtown), with regular international flights linking to capitals and the largest cities in Europe (Paris France, Amsterdam Holland, Brussels Belgium, Lisbon Portugal, Istanbul Turkey), Asia (Lebanon, Qatar, Dubai), UK (London), USA (Washington DC, NYC), Africa (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Rwanda, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Ivory Coast).

A second airport (in Prampram) is planned to be constructed by China Airport Construction Corporation (subsidiary of CACC-China Airport Construction Group Co, Ltd).