Ports are vital to the economic life of every nation. They bring in vital goods as imports for local consumption while at the same time serve as export points for vital commodities to other parts of the world thereby supporting the national economy. However, there are things shipping companies look out for when considering a port to call.
Top of the list is the turn around time. That is how long does it take a vessel to load or offload its cargo at a port? 1hr, 5hrs, 10hrs, 24hrs or 120hrs? And that is because for a ship, the longer the time spent at a port of call, the higher the cost to the shipping company. For this reason, shippers are particular about the turn around time in a port.
For a port to reduce the time it takes to call and leave, it requires the port having in place the requisite security, equipment and manpower to attend to the vessel. That includes tug boats to escort the vessel to for berthing; 24hrs power supply; cranes of load and offload cargoes; trained Port State Control Officers to attend to the vessel as it relates to certificates of compliance in line with regulations of the international Maritime Organisation amongst others. Security of the port in terms of being compliant with the International Shipping and Port Security Code, which means proper demarcation of the ports into zones of operations and issuance of relevant access passes to port users based on areas of business within the port.In addition to security of ship and port facilities, protection of cargoes from theft and preferring or what some people call ‘Wharf Rats’ is critical. No business man will want to see his goods call at a port where it will get stollen to tempered with.
The question is, are the ports in Liberia measuring up to these minimum requirements? While the answer may be in the affirmative for some in light of the installation of Aids to Navigation, the acquisition of few tug boats and cranes, and the Freeport of Monrovia being compliant with the ISPS Code at one point, the primary determinant of the level of efficiency of a port is the number of vessels calling at the port. The higher the vessels, the more efficient it is. The lower, the less efficient it is. Once a port has a reputation for efficiency interns of reducing the cost of doing business to a ship and customers cargoes are safe from theft by “Wharf Rats” couple with tight security at but low level threat (i.e. level 1), its reputation shall precede it and thereby making it a “destination choice” for vessels.
Can we challenge ourselves to making one of the ports in Liberia a ‘regional hub’ for transit of cargoes to to other countries in the region? We need to make our ports vibrant such that it lives up to its mission as ” The Gate Way to Liberia’s Economy”. If Singapore, a small Island State can harness its potentials through the use of its port and maritime space, why should we not? The time for accepting mediocrity as a member of the ‘comity of nations’ is over. Its about time we think big, strategic and act robustly like other nations, if not better.
Liberians, specifically the National Port Authority and Liberia Maritime Authority, need to take a leaf from the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore: https://brightsparks.com.sg/profile/mpa/index.php. This is a national challenge. We have the resources it is a matter of applying our minds, heart and soul to harnessing the potentials and opportunities staring us in the face.