Kete Krachi Timber Recovery commissions new tugboat

The Kete Krachi Timber Recovery (KKTR), a company granted concession to salvage timber from the Volta Lake, has commissioned a new tugboat to help improve navigation on the lake.

The boat will also be used to move barge loads of log salvaged from the Volta Lake that weigh up to 300 tonnes to the KKTR’s lakeside sawmill at Sedorm-Yiti.

The ceremony to commission the tugboat, which is named after the National Coordinator of the One-district, One-factory (1D1F) Secretariat, Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu, took place at the company’s operational centre at Sedorm-Yiti in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region last Thursday.

Expanding capacity

The Chief Executive of KKTR, Mr Elkin Pianim, said the acquisition of the tugboat was an important step the KKTR had taken to develop its own transport capability as the business was evolving.

He said the management of the company agreed to name the boat after the Coordinator of the 1D1F Secretariat in recognition of the strong support the company had received from the secretariat.

He said the company was expanding its operations, in line with its goal of becoming the world's largest supplier of salvaged tropical timber.

The Chairman of KKTR, Mr Francis Mawuena Kalitsi, said: "Our expanding presence on the Volta Lake is of positive significance to the larger lake community. For example, in times of emergency, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) can call on our fleet to render assistance in a timely fashion, as needed."

A great asset

In a telephone interview, Mrs Ohene-Konadu said: "This tugboat is dedicated to the President for initiating the 1D1F policy and for making it a reality.”

She thanked the management of KKTR for the honour and was hopeful that the boat would contribute immensely to the envisioned expansion of economic opportunities for all communities along the shores of the Volta Lake and the country at large.

Workings

A Communications and Public Outreach Specialist of KKTR, Mr Kweku Sersah-Johnson, explained the workings of the tugboat, saying it had a very powerful engine for pulling or towing barges and ships.

He said the boat, with its multi-purpose functions, was a considerable asset, not only to the company but also the fishermen, traders, schoolchildren and commuters on the Volta Lake.