Tema shipyard takes measures to reduce delays
Management of the PSCTema Shipyards and Drydock has reviewed its timing policy to eliminate unnecessary delay of vessels that call for repairs and maintenance at the yard.
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The decision forms part of measures to boost the confidence of clients.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the shipyard, Mr Hakeem Rashid Tunde Ali, in an interview with the Daily Graphic explained that previously, it took about 45 days for repair woks and maintenance to be done on vessels, but with the new arrangement, it took a maximum of two weeks.
At the time of the visit, work was on going on a 55,000 tonne capacity tanker vessel known as the Nippon Princess.
Work on the vessel, which is one of the largest to visit the shipyard in recent times, was done within 15 days .
New policy
According to Mr Ali, who took over the management of the organisation about six months ago, the situation where a ship owner was promised 20 days and eventually ended up waiting for two months in the shipyard did not augur well for the image of the company.
“The latest move is part of a rebranding exercise aimed at enhancing the image of the shipyard,” he told the Daily Graphic.
He said management was doing all it could to ensure that the company became profitable and viable.
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Past record
He said in the past, things were done without recourse to international best practices and so steps had to be taken to ensure value for money as well as guarantee a safe and conducive working environment.
“Issues of procurement, for instance, was just a one man show, so I had to form a three-man committee which is now in charge of all matters relating to the subject and so far so good,” he said.
He noted that management was doing its best to ensure that the shipyard stayed afloat even as it worked with obsolete machinery and equipment.
Company Union
The Vice Chairman of the worker’s union of the company, Mr Eric Tibu, giving his impressions attributed the cordial relationship that existed between management and the workers to the openness and transparency of the current management.
He added that the workers were fired up for work because they believed the shipyard now belonged to them and was currently in capable hands.
He called on the government to give the board and management of the organisation the free hand to operate to enable them to maximise its potential, and added that “the same level of leeway that has been allowed the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority must be extended to the board and management of the shipyard too.”
Writer’s email: sebastian.syme@graphic.com.gh