Harbour Engineering Company AECOM to supervise $1.5 billion Tema port expansion project

Oct 7, 2016: AECOM will oversee the construction of the project for Meridian Port Services – the operator of the container terminal at Tema Port.

AECOM will provide design and procurement management services prior to the award of construction contracts. Afterwards, it will supervise the construction of all of the port expansion facilities. The project commenced at the beginning of October 2016, with completion by Q4 2019. MPS is a joint venture between the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and Meridian Port Holdings, with Bolloré Transport & Logistics and APM Terminals as the two main shareholders. MPS is building the project as part of the GPHA plan for the development of Tema Port. Funding for the project has been secured by MPS from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, as well as from shareholders. China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is the marine contractor. The project will treble Tema Port’s current traffic of about 1mn Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). It will allow Tema Port to accommodate the world’s largest container ships, and improve cargo-handling services and capacity. This will enhance the port’s competitiveness as a leading maritime hub in West Africa. The expanded harbour will accommodate larger vessels thanks to a dredged 19-m-deep port access channel, a new 1.4-km-long quay for four container berths, with a 16 m draft, and a 4-km-long breakwater. “AECOM is proud to manage this project on behalf MPS. Due to the size and complexity of the project, our team includes highly-experienced port project management professionals who have come to Tema from AECOM’s global organisation,” said project director, OzgurBalaban. The Project Manager is David Hanly. “These port specialists will work with our local Ghanaian specialists, who are well-qualified in project controls, contract administration, construction management and environmental management. We have a truly multinational staff, representing nine nations and five continents.”