MPS TERMINAL 3 CONTINUES TO ATTRACT LARGER VESSELS
With Tema Port’s increased capacity and deep harbour basin coupled with sophisticated gearing with cutting edge gantry cranes running on state-of-the-art Terminal & Gate Operating Systems; MPS Terminal 3 continues to attract larger vessels and providing opportunities for the Shipping Lines to optimise their Liner Services that call ports on the West African Coast as well as the trade routes that pass by the region.
Pacific International Lines (PIL) expressed intention to make a trial call in Tema with a P-Class vessel, the largest container vessel ever deployed by PIL in West Africa and the MPS Terminal 3 development (Infrastructure and Superstructure) is certainly the enabler.
The KOTA PUSAKA (IMO: 9793961) was built in 2019 (2 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Hong Kong. The Vessel’s Length Overall is 330m and 48m Beam with Gross Tonnage of 113,746 (11,923 TEU loading capacity).
This 12 thousand TEU Vessel sailed fully laden from Singapore on 25th July 2021 heading directly to the East Coast of South America and arrived on 18th of August at Santos-Brazil followed by couple other calls at Brazilian Ports then sailed from Rio de Janeiro to Tema on 24th August and from Tema She will head back to Shanghai.
Mr. Rob Oram, Managing Director of PIL Ghana Ltd, articulated that this vessel call could be a precursor for further transhipment activities at MPS Terminal 3. The Singaporean Pacific International Lines (PIL) is one of the longest servicing liner services connecting West Africa with other parts of the globe.
The COO of MPS, Mr. Curtiss Dakpogan, stated that Operations Management Team (Mr. Emmanuel Ohene Addo – Operations Manager and Mr. Diogo Silveira – Planning Manager) have prepared for Berthing and Operating this giant vessel with the best operational execution plans and gearing that matches the Liner stowage plan.
The Operations Management Team highlighted “The vessel presented 1,703 import TEUs for discharge and loaded 2,691 TEUs to Shanghai (totalling 4,394 TEUs). The vessel operation was completed in 34 hours deploying 3 cranes that preformed total of 2,629 discharge & load moves. The overall Berth/Vessel Productivity was 77.25 mph with average Nett Crane Productivity in the range of 26.2 mph”.
The CEO of MPS, Mr. Mohamed Samara, commended the excellent coordination involving all stakeholders to lessen the vessel idle time waiting for the statutory formalities to be completed prior to commence operations.
For this vessel call; The gangway was lowered down at 03:30am. The Port Health team were present at 03:35am and went on board with the dockers/lashers. Simultaneously, the Customs formalities were completed, and the vessel was cleared at 03:40am for operations to commence while the first move was done at 04:05am.
“This is an outstanding achievement; The KOTA PUSAKA is now holding the record for the quickest vessel clearance (in 35 minutes)”. Said Mr. Samara
Source : Meridian Port Services
