Every port city – from Le Havre in France, to Santos in Brazil; Shanghai in China; Perth in Australia; and Tema in Ghana – is a growth pole of some sorts, impacting its surrounding towns and villages in trade, commerce, tourism and real estate. The reason is obvious: as ships dock in the cities’ harbours offloading and loading merchandize, they seek attention from various husbandmen including but not limited to: port agents, ship managers, cargo inspectors, marine surveyors, third-party logistics providers, notary publics, chandlers, customs, port authorities, loss adjusters and stevedores. This complement of port professionals constitute a chunk of sojourners in port cities while their day-to-day professional activities further stimulate myriads of other support businesses including bunker supply, warehousing, hotels, clubs, recreational parks and entertainment centres, ship spares markets, shopping malls, engineering workshops, equipment leasing companies, bureau de changes, restaurants, and hospitals to attend to ailing crew members. With these direct and indirect businesses servicing ships that patronize port cities, the cities become a beehive of activities catalyzing development of their immediate surroundings and hinterlands.

As a Pan-African initiative dedicated to the promotion of business, policy and stakeholder relationships in downstream petroleum markets across the continent,  the  Oil Trading and Logistics Africa, OTL (Downstream sector),  has indicated moves to establish a shipping cluster in the West African region.

THE Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, NAMM, has vowed to deal with any foreign master mariner operating on the nation’s waters without its permission and authorization.

Recently  Peter Mensah Abrampa, Head of delegation from Ghana to the recent sub regional workshop and Joint Committee meeting organised by the Africa Shippers Council, ASC in conjunction with the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development in Abuja, spoke with Godfrey Bivbere about port operations in Ghana, place of corruption, efforts at increasing export, the volume of its transit cargo, and more. Excerpts

Damen Shipyard has concluded plans to raise commercial fishing operations in Africa as the shipyard last week announced a new vessel leasing fund for the African continent.