Ship Owners and Agents Association, Ghana (SOAAG) has mobilized resources to evacuate about 200 empty containers from the state warehouse in the Port of Tema back into the custody of the various shipping lines.

The shortage of shipping containers needed to facilitate the maritime trade, has become as much of a national issue as it is a global phenomenon.

It has been widely reported that the contents of many containers sitting in the ports of Ghana remain uncleared or abandoned by their owners.

This has led to some level of congestion in the port space as well as posing negative revenue implications to government.

Notably, shipping lines, who are the custodians or owners of these boxes are most hit by the non-clearance of containers.

Detailing the processes that led to the evacuation exercise, the Executive Secretary of the Ship Owners and Agents Association, Ghana (SOAAG), Perpertual Osei Bonsu revealed that the evacuation was necessary following an accumulation of years of effort to have this done.

“This principle has developed over the years that containers are used for warehousing to support the system because they are not enough warehouses to take over the cargo so shipping lines play a part by supporting, but they turn out to be victims. Once shipping lines allow their contaiers to be used as warehouses, it becomes a battle to get them back,” she said.

Chairman of the technical committee of SOAAG, Mark Klutse explained the dire consequences unreturned boxes have on the business of shipping lines.

He said while uncleared cargoes are not a making of customs, the expectation is that customs will speedily expedite processes following the detention of uncleared cargoes.

“You have situations where containers have been moved to state warehouse and have been there for 3 to 4years and you will see containers which are 30 to 40days being auctioned and one will ask why?” he wondered.

The executives of SOAAG also called for rehabilitation of the state warehouse in order for it to better accommodate uncleared cargo.

They said, a well-structured efficient warehousing, auctioning and return system is created at the ports of Ghana, would have a positive impact on the cost of doing business in the entire chain, including the end consumer.