Only a week after the 366-meter-long 13,676 TEU Maersk Edirne left the Port of Tema, a similar-sized containership called the Port.

The CMA CGM Scandola Valletta is the second of thirteen vessels of the same class designated for the newly introduced West Africa Express Service (WAX), where Tema is the first port of call.

The 366-meter, 15,128 TEU vessel sailing under the flag of Malta is also the first LNG-powered vessel to call the Port of Tema, showcasing the commitment of the shipping industry towards a more sustainable future.

The Lady CMA CGM berthed at the port, carrying 9,161 TEUs bound for West Africa with 4,939 TEUs destined for discharge in Tema. Among these, 1,938 TEUs of transshipment boxes have been reloaded into feeder vessels for their final destination in other ports in the region.

A delegation consisting of the Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the Director of Port, Tema, Sandra Opoku, the management of MPS, a team from CMA CGM, and some key customers of the shipping line visited the berthing site to witness this historic event.

Oussama Yakra, Cluster Managing Director for Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Liberia at CMA CGM, said, “The first port to be called in West Africa is Tema, and it's not a coincidence. It’s just the fruit of a long-term vision that Ghana made several years ago, and today it's only the fruit of that vision.”.

Indeed, Tema is gradually living up to its hub port ambition, and the CEO of MPS, Mohammed Samara, expressed optimism that this will give a shot in the arm to Ghana's goal of becoming an ideal destination for investments.

“The West Africa market is a huge market; we have about 3 to 400 million people; Nigeria alone has 220 million—consumers and producers included. If we are able to tap into this kind of global economy through Ghana becoming a hub not only for trade but also for industry, it will be great. This is something really interesting that we should actually encourage and pursue. This is the dream for Ghana and AfCFTA to create interconnectivity within the region and the wider continent in the long run,” he said.

The Director of Port, Tema, Sandra Opoku, said the Port Authority recognizes the efforts shipping lines are making to augment the maritime trade in the region, and her outfit will do its best to complement such efforts.

“Being one of the biggest ships to call at MPS, we at Tema Port are excited, and it's good that it came at this time when we have also augmented our tugboats that can bring in these big vessels. Kudos to my marine operations team for making sure that we bring this vessel to berth safely, and this is our commitment to you and to all the other shipping lines that we are ready to serve you,” she expressed.

The Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, stated that this historic event is one of the indications that Ghana is committed to protecting the environment.