Oil Vessel Bisects At Tema Port

AN OIL tanker, MT Alice which was loaded with 1,200 metric tons of light crude oil crushed and bisect at the Tema Port anchorage.

The Bahamas registered vessel which had called at the Tema Port, reportedly caused some oil spillage when the incident occurred last Saturday at about 9:42pm.

But for the timely intervention of personnel from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Ghana Navy and Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), the Ghanaian bound oil tanker which had divided into two would have spilled several tons of oil into the Ghanaian waters.

Information gathered by the DAILY GUIDE indicates that the vessel which nearly caught fire after splitting up, saw its stern drifting towards the fairway and the entrance of the harbour, while the bowl remained at the same location.

The vessel had a crew of 13 who were made up of 11 Nigerians and 2 Ghanaians. Another vessel, MT Colled Alice aided promptly to rescue the crew to avoid recording casualties.

Meanwhile, authorities at the port and its allied agencies had managed to transfer all the remaining light crude oil onboard the split vessel into oil tanker trucks which were brought in on time to prevent any further oil spillage into the sea.

Security agencies at the Tema Port said they had since launched investigations to unravel the cause of the accident which has resulted in several losses.

Security manager at the Tema Port, Col. Joseph Punamane, told newsmen that this is the first time an accident of this nature has been recorded at the anchorage of the Tema port, by extension in the Ghanaian waters.

He said though the cause of the accident is unknown, the various stakeholders will begin their investigations quickly to unravel the truth, warning persons found culpable will be dealt with.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Transport who doubles as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema East, Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover has raised concerns over the rusty state of the vessel which he described as scrap.

He wants the appropriate offices to ensure that vessels calling at the country’s port are in good condition to prevent future occurrence.

Though officials are yet to determine the cause of the accident, unconfirmed reports indicate that it could have been caused by poor maintenance of the vessel or an overload of oil onto the vessel.

From Vincent Kubi, Tema