Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has purchased three 45-tonne Reachstacker (SMU 4535) to enhance its port operations.
A reachstacker is a vehicle used for handling intermodal cargo containers in small terminals or medium-sized ports. It is also able to transport containers short distances very quickly, and pile them in various rows depending on its access.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Deputy-Chief Executive of COCOBOD in charge of Operations, Nana-Oduro Owusu, was grateful to Pasico Ghana for its role in acquiring the reachstackers.
According to him, acquisition of the machines is very critical to Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) operations at the various ports, considering the enormous challenges associated with cocoa shipment.
“Reachstackers iare very important to our port operations. Annually, such service was valued at around US$1.7million; now this money will come to the Board, since we will be rendering the services ourselves,” he stressed.
Nana-Oduro Owusu also charged operators of the machines to carry out routine servicing and also use them for their intended purpose to increase the equipment’s life-span.
Mr. Kwaku Okoh, Managing Director of Pasico Ghana Limited – facilitator of the acquisition, was grateful to COCOBOD for the confidence reposed in them to supply various cargo-handling equipment for efficiency at the ports.
Dr. Kwame Mensah Aborampah, Acting Managing Director of Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) – a subsidiary of COCOBOD that will directly benefit from the Reachstackers, expressed his gratitude to COCOBOD since the move has fulfilled their dream of modernising CMC’s port operations.
The Reachstackers, which are valued at 1.4 million euros, will be positioned at the Tema, Kumasi, and Takoradi take-over centres and are expected to improve efficiency at the ports.
