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24.06.2005 General News

GPHA registers haulage truck drivers to curb diversion of goods

24.06.2005 LISTEN
By GNA

Tema, June 24, GNA - The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has begun registering drivers of haulage trucks who load transit goods from the country's ports meant for the landlocked countries to prevent diversion of goods by the drivers.

Names, pictures and addresses are being compiled for documentation and the drivers will be issued with cards for easy identification, Mrs Esther Gyebi-Donkor, Deputy Marketing/Customer Services Manager of the GPHA, said on Thursday. She was speaking to representatives of operators of haulage trucks at a meeting held in Tema.

Mrs Gyebi-Donkor said 90,000 tonnes of transit cargoes were diverted in 2003 while 41 and 15 trucks of goods suffered the same fate from the Tema and Takoradi ports respectively. She said because of the diversion some importers have turned to other ports in the sub-region.

Mrs Gyebi-Donkor said consideration would be given to the compilation of particulars of owners of haulage trucks to face similar penalty should their trucks get involved in the practice. ''A time will come when unregistered haulage trucks would be refused entry into the ports to load goods,'' she said.

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