The global pandemic of COVID-19 may have changed our way of human interaction and movement, however it has not affected our commitment to providing excellent customer service to shippers, consignees vessels and all stakeholders in the Port of Tema.

The Government of Ghana has announced 2 weeks of restricted movements in parts of the country. While this public health and safety measure is in effect, the MPS Terminal 3 and Port of Tema being within the category of Essential Service Providers, are permitted to continue to operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as has been the case.

As an Essential Service Provider, we acknowledge that many local businesses depend on the import of cargo for their sustainability and we remain committed to providing this support to the nation.

As we go on to provide this valuable service to all stakeholders, we wish to reiterate that the health and safety  of all we work with remains utmost priority to us, as such we have put in place the necessary measures to ensure that our terminal remains safe for all who access it.

OUR COMMITMENT

We are committed to providing service to all our stakeholders without compromising on the health, safety, security and the environment of our nation and the world at large.

We are committed to providing uninterrupted service to all customers and business partners. To this end, our berthing window is still available allowing customers who patronise this berthing window to use it without complications.

Should it become necessary to introduce the priority service for vessels that are carrying essential products such as medical materials, this will be duly communicated.

Some of the measures being undertaken by the Terminal includes the implementation of additional control measures at entry gates where officials of MPS and Port Health are stationed to check assist in the implementation of the Covid-19 preventive protocols.

Again, the needed handwashing with soap under running water and hand sanitizers as well as  WHO approved sanitisers have been installed at vantage points in the terminal while cleaning and disinfections of surfaces have been intensified to minimise the risk of infections. 

We have suspended all meetings and restricted office access to the general public except unavoidable meeting with the regulatory Authorities.

Teleconferencing is being encouraged for meetings with our internal and external contacts.

We have ceased all non-critical external contractor works on site and receipt of company supplies are to  be confined to the quarantine delivery zone.

OPERATIONS

There are 3 operational berths in Terminal 3, in these circumstances, we will be operating 2 of these berths geared with 7 STS Cranes. The terminal runs on the required power supply without any inhibitions. In cases when there is low current or power outage from the national grid, the terminal has a backup power plant with the capacity of 12MW capable of energising the terminal along with all machinery for efficient service delivery.

The Terminal allows a 24/7 access to all registered trucks and drivers. Receipt and Delivery of containers handled on/off trucks without the need for drivers to get down from their cabin throughout the process. All biometric access machines are frequently sanitised to reduce risks of infection.

All other previously circulated protocols issued in line with the Port Authority’s Covid-19 Committee remain in force including the prohibition of ships’ crew and passengers from disembarking in port unless for medical emergency; and for all ships arriving to wait at Quarantine Anchorage to be screened by Port Health Service and cleared before the ship will be brought into Port.  For more details please refer to the communique issued by Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA) on 26^th March, 2020.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

MPS is committed and adequately resourced to using paperless transactions. Working without physical contact is therefore not a novel activity for us. The MPS web portal; MPS Pay Gate provides global access via the internet or mobile platforms for all Agents to retrieve and review their estimated charges, confirm and pay their invoices and finally book the truck(s) appointment to pick the container(s).  

To ensure security on all transactions, MPS has partnered with several banks including Stanbic Bank, GT bank, Access Bank, Zenith Bank, GCB Bank, ADB, ABSA (Barclays) Bank, UBA, Standard Chartered and Société General.

You may also make payments via Mobile Money through the major telecom service providers by following the appropriate prompts.

THE TRUCK APPOINTMENT SYSTEM

All customers can use this online portal to make appointments through our “Truck Appointment System” (TAS) for their visit to the MPS Terminal at their convenience. Customers have access to a dashboard of their personal information and available containers.

The Truck Appointment System and online portal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week .The TAS communicates in real-time with our centralized and high-available Terminal Operating System (TOS) to retrieve and validate all data.

Once your appointment is confirmed, your registered truck and driver are welcomed at the MPS Terminal. As the truck driver heads to the yard, the e-RTG operator will automatically receive a work order, through the Terminal Operating System, and on arrival, the truck will be served by the operator. Once the container is discharged off or loaded on the truck, driver can proceed to the out-gate.

There are 8 daily slots of 3 hours each for booking appointments on the Truck Appointment System, this will enhance truck turnaround time and to support prioritizing delivery of essential goods.

Also, we have implemented a new yard strategy to optimize the use of space. This will also enable create more yard capacity for the discharge of import containers in case of a longer COVID19 lockdown restricting the delivery out of the yard. The aim is to mitigate the consequence of congesting the terminal with undelivered containers.

We remain committed to deploy our best endeavours and shall keep you informed on any changes within our operations that may potentially have an impact on the way we are doing business.