The shipping platform

Location: Takoradi is located approx 100nm SW of Accra. General overview: Takoradi is a wholly artificial port created within two breakwaters, the main breakwater is 1,800m in length and the shorter lee breakwater is 800m in length. There are facilities for general, dry bulk and oil cargoes and a slipway a drydock for small vessel repair work. Transit cargoes are handled for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The principal export is manganese bauxite, cocoa, manganese ore, timber products and palm oil. Some of the main imports are cotton goods, mining equipment, petroleum products, clinker, wheat, construction equipment, rice, sugar and project cargoes. Traffic figures: Approx 600 vessels, 4,050,000t of cargo and 52,000TEU handled annually. Load line zone: Tropical. Capacity of mobile cranes in Takoradi port: - Project cargo from 144tons @12-22m up to 46tons @54m - Twin lift of containers from 50tons @ 11-38m up to 27 tons @ 54m - Single lift of containers from 41 tons @ 11-45m up to 29 tons @ 54m - Big bag cargo using 8x2.1-ton big bag spreader per lift. The mobile cranes can be doubled for the heavy lift/ project cargo. IMO cargo in transit is not allowed to stay in port overnight. The Port has three tug boats and two must always be in attendance for berthing, sailing and shifting. The tugs are fitted with monitors for firefighting. The Port has sheds with storage covered area of 140,000m2, open storage area of 250,000m2 with container holding capacity of 5000teus. There are also private warehouses in and around the Port to augment its capacity.