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The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is spending 243,392.7 million Euros, $153,598 million, and a Ghana cedi component of 63.5 million on projects and equipment between 2012 and 2016. The projects, some of which have been completed, while others are ongoing, include a Bulk Cargo Handling Jetty at the Tema Port, costing $122 million, construction works for the Takoradi Port upgrade and expansion, 197 million euros, and the construction of a 130-bed maritime Hospital at Tema, which would also cost GH�46 million, Ms Joan Addah, Public Relations Manager of the GPHA, disclosed this to The chronicle during an interview in Tema recently. The jetty being constructed by Amandi Holdings was started in 2013, and is expected to be completed by December 2014, with the objective to increase the capacity of the port, and also provide additional berths with the view to reducing the waiting time of vessels. The construction works for the Takoradi Port upgrade and expansion is being undertaking by Jan de Null NV, of Belgium, with funding from KBC Bank, Belgium, and would be completed in March 2016. The work includes breakwater extension of 1.08 kilometres, dredging 16 metres, reclamation, and bulk cargo handling berths for manganese, bauxite and clinker. The expansion also has the objective to safely take in modern, bigger and deep-drafted vessels, reduce ship turnaround time, and also provide services and logistics bases for the oil field. The GPHA has also decided to put up a multipurpose hospital to befit its status in the port city of Tema. Pursuant to this objective, the construction of a 130-bed capacity Maritime Hospital, which would cost GH�46 billion, has already begun. The facility is expected to consume GH�18 million, while medical equipment and installation will cost GH�28 million. Facilities available at the Centre will include five ultra-modern surgical theaters, MRRI, CT, X-Ray and other scanners. Others services are maternity, male, female, children wings, ICU, VIP and other wards, and accident/trauma centre and laboratories. The health facility, which would be completed in December 2015, will provide efficient health delivery services and a one-stop referral medical centre of excellence. Amandi Holdings, an Israeli giant, is presently constructing a bulk cargo handling jetty at the Tema Port, at an estimated cost of $122 million, and would be completed in December this year. The GPHA has already taken delivery of a multi-purpose tug boat at the cost of 6.9 million euros. It has been named after Vice Admiral Owusu Ansah, a former Director General of the authority, from 1988 to 1992. It is highly maneuverable for harbour and coastal berthing operations, as well as offshore towing, and is the first of its kind, in terms of maneuverability. It has a bollard pull of 56 tonnes, and also equipped for external firefighting and oil pollution control. Since the Tema port is still leading its francophone neighbours, in terms of security, hence the preferred choice, the GPHA has invested 2.2 million euros to acquire a security patrol boat named Cletus Adugbire, after a highly disciplined and dedicated security guard, who was clubbed to death on September 2010 by an assailant at the Tema Fishing Harbour, while on duty. The boat with a maximum speed of 35knots is to ensure adequate security in the harbour, anchorage, and its adjoining areas to enhance the authority�s preparedness to fight the increasing activities of armed bandits at the anchorage. In order to meet the great demands of increased cargo, new reach stackers and forklifts, supplied by Pasico Ghana Limited at the cost of 6.2 million euros, has been deployed at various parts of the port. The GPHA, in collaboration with the Meridian Port Services (MPS), has also secured a number of rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which arrived in June 2013. Mobile cranes � Andy Asare and Kofi Asamoah � have similarly been purchased at the cost of 18.4 million euros. To meet shore handling demands, a fleet of MAFI tractors and trailers, costing 6.2 million euros, and forklifts purchased at the same amount have been procured by the authority. The oil berth benefited from the transformation as a French company, FMC Technologies completed the rehabilitation of the loading arms at the cost of 292,784 million euros. Work on the project included the replacement of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) loading arms on the 8-inch finished product, and crude oil arms for reliable and smooth delivery of petroleum products to and from the Tema Oil Refinery. The GPHA is funding the consulting service for the Takoradi Port expansion at a cost of GH�12 million. The project, which was started in 2013, is scheduled to be completed in 2016. Also, between August and December 2013, the GPHA funded the construction and supply of mooring buoys at the cost of US$3 million for the Takoradi Harbour. The Albert Bosomtwe Sam (ABS) Fishing Harbour in Sekondi also benefited from a Japanese government/JAICA funding, including 160 metres lay-by wharf, fish net-mending area, 30 tonnes per day ice plant, fuel dispensing station for fishing vessels, and an administration block. Currently, site investigations and multi stakeholder negotiations have commenced for the $25 million facilities aimed at providing additional berthing and promote a conducive atmosphere for fishing activities. The feasibility studies, which have already begun, are estimated at US$0.3 million. According to Ms Joan Addah, the Tema Fishing Harbour has not been left out, as it has also received its fair share of the development. The main gate at the Tema Port have been fitted with eight Optical Character Recognition Systems (OCR) to capture, store and distribute container and vehicle movement in and out of the port. This project cost the port authority approximately US$448,000, and will prevent trucks not registered with the system from entering the port.