The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) is urgently calling on the Minister for Finance to intervene in the growing operational crisis confronting importers, exporters, clearing and forwarding agents, freight forwarders, consignees, transport operators and other port users at the Tema Port.
The Association is alarmed by persistent delays in invoicing, payment processing and container release by shipping lines, alongside reported disruptions to container transfer operations at the Meridian Port Services (MPS) Terminal 3. These challenges are imposing avoidable financial costs on businesses, undermining port efficiency, disrupting supply chains and heightening tensions across Ghana’s maritime trade and logistics sector.
IEAG considers the situation urgent and demands that the Minister for Finance convene an emergency, high-level stakeholder meeting involving the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), shipping lines, terminal operators, clearing and forwarding agents, freight forwarders and other relevant industry stakeholders.
The meeting must establish the causes of the persistent delays, identify parties responsible for the reported operational failures, agree on immediate relief measures for affected businesses and set clear, enforceable timelines for resolving the challenges.
The Association warns that continued inaction could deepen the financial burden on businesses, undermine confidence in Ghana’s port system and trigger further confrontations between service providers and port users. The matter therefore requires urgent ministerial attention and coordinated intervention rather than routine stakeholder engagements that do not produce measurable results.
SHIPPING LINE DELAYS ARE IMPOSED FINANCIAL BURDENS ON SHIPPERS
IEAG is particularly concerned about delays in the issuance of shipping invoices, payment confirmation and the release of containers, which can prevent shippers from completing clearance and taking delivery of their cargo within the expected timeframes.
These delays can result in additional demurrage, rent, storage and related charges, even in circumstances where the affected shipper has fulfilled the relevant payment and documentation requirements but remains unable to proceed because an essential service has not been provided.
The Association considers it fundamentally unfair for businesses to bear the financial consequences of service failures they neither caused nor control.
While legitimate demurrage, rent and storage charges serve recognised operational and commercial purposes, their application must be transparent, fair and consistent with the applicable tariffs, contractual terms and law. Where delays are attributable to a shipping line’s internal processes or other service-provider failures, the circumstances must be investigated before the resulting charges are imposed or upheld.
IEAG is therefore urging the Minister for Finance to use the proposed emergency meeting to secure firm commitments from shipping lines on invoicing timelines, payment processing, container release procedures, complaints resolution and appropriate remedies for demonstrable service failures.
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority must also exercise its statutory mandate to protect and promote the interests of shippers by investigating complaints, engaging the relevant service providers and pursuing appropriate regulatory measures within its authority.
The GPHA, for its part, must ensure effective oversight of port operations within its jurisdiction and work with terminal operators to address operational bottlenecks affecting the movement of cargo.
MSC OFFICE INCIDENT: IEAG WARNS AGAINST ESCALATING TENSIONS
The Association is equally concerned by reports of a confrontation at the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) office at the Tema Port, during which an alleged assault incident was reported.
IEAG unequivocally condemns violence, intimidation and unlawful conduct. Any allegation of assault must be investigated impartially by the appropriate authorities, and anyone found culpable must be dealt with in accordance with the law.
However, the reported incident must also prompt an urgent examination of the wider operational grievances confronting port users, including prolonged delays, mounting charges and difficulties accessing essential shipping services.
When importers, clearing agents and other port users face persistent uncertainty over invoices, payment confirmation and cargo release, the resulting financial pressure and frustration can heighten tensions between service providers and their customers.
IEAG warns that if these concerns remain unresolved, further confrontations could result in serious injuries, destruction of property, disruption of port operations and threats to the safety of workers and the wider port community.
The authorities must not wait for a preventable confrontation to result in serious injury or loss of life before taking decisive action.
The Association therefore calls for an impartial investigation into the reported MSC office incident and urges the Minister for Finance to ensure that the proposed emergency stakeholder meeting addresses both the immediate security concerns and the underlying operational grievances.
The objective must be to restore confidence, promote accountability and prevent further incidents within Ghana’s critical maritime trade environment.
MPS TERMINAL 3 DISRUPTIONS: MORE THAN 120 TRUCKS REPORTEDLY AFFECTED
IEAG is also concerned about reports of operational delays at the MPS Terminal 3, where more than 120 trucks reportedly scheduled to transfer containers were delayed by issues attributed to terminal operations.
Such disruptions have implications beyond the affected truck operators. They can undermine terminal productivity, prolong truck turnaround times, reduce equipment utilisation, disrupt haulage schedules, increase the cost of container movements and limit the availability of trucks for other cargo operations.
A port system that experiences persistent delays in container transfer and evacuation risks creating avoidable bottlenecks across the wider logistics chain, with consequences for importers, exporters, transport operators and the national economy.
IEAG maintains that where containers have been scheduled for transfer, the relevant parties must ensure that operational arrangements, system readiness, documentation and release procedures are in place to facilitate timely movement.
The Association is particularly concerned about allegations and suspicions among affected stakeholders that prolonged delays may be contributing to the accumulation of rent, storage and other related charges. These claims have not been independently established and must be subjected to a transparent, evidence-based investigation.
IEAG therefore calls on the GPHA, working with MPS and other relevant stakeholders, to establish the precise causes of the reported disruptions, determine responsibility and clarify the basis on which any additional charges were imposed.
Where evidence establishes that operational failures attributable to a service provider caused the delays, affected port users should not be left to shoulder unjustified costs arising from those failures.
These issues must feature prominently on the agenda of the emergency meeting to be convened by the Minister for Finance, with concrete measures agreed upon to prevent a recurrence.
SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS MUST BE ENFORCED
IEAG believes that the recurring challenges underscore the urgent need to review and enforce applicable Service Level Agreements (SLAs) governing shipping-line services, terminal operations, invoicing, payment processing, container release and cargo transfer.
Service Level Agreements must not exist merely as contractual formalities. They must establish clear performance standards, measurable turnaround times, defined responsibilities, escalation procedures and appropriate remedies when agreed obligations are not met.
The Association is therefore calling for the following measures to be prioritised at the proposed emergency meeting should include, Clear and enforceable service timelines, Immediate investigation of service failures, Fair treatment of additional charges, Effective SLA enforcement, Transparent performance monitoring, A functional complaints and escalation mechanism, and an Operational contingency arrangements.
IEAG considers it inequitable for shipping lines to enforce strict container-return deadlines and impose substantial charges for late returns while customers experiencing delays in invoicing, payment processing or container release may have limited practical recourse against the service providers responsible.
The Association is not opposed to legitimate commercial charges. Its concern is that such charges must be administered fairly, transparently and in accordance with the circumstances of each transaction.
Where a shipper has met all applicable obligations but cannot proceed because an essential process remains incomplete due to a service-provider failure, that failure must be investigated and the resulting financial consequences addressed appropriately.
Accountability in the maritime sector must be reciprocal. Shippers must fulfil their obligations, but shipping lines and terminal operators must equally be held accountable for the services they are contracted or required to provide.
FINANCE MINISTER MUST ACT NOW
The Tema Port is a critical gateway for Ghana’s international trade. Its operational efficiency directly affects import costs, export competitiveness, supply-chain reliability, business confidence and the prices ultimately paid by consumers.
Persistent delays, unresolved complaints, avoidable charges and disruptions to cargo movement undermine these objectives and impose additional pressure on businesses already operating within a demanding commercial environment.
IEAG believes that the scale and recurring nature of these challenges warrant urgent ministerial intervention to bring the relevant stakeholders to the table, establish accountability and secure practical solutions.
The proposed meeting must not become another routine consultation without tangible outcomes. It must produce clear decisions, deadlines, assigned responsibilities and an effective mechanism for tracking implementation.
IEAG further calls for the findings of the relevant investigations and the corrective actions agreed upon to be communicated transparently to affected stakeholders.
The message is clear: Ghana’s port users cannot continue to absorb the financial consequences of persistent service delays while the underlying operational failures remain unresolved.
The Association expects the Minister for Finance to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves and initiate the necessary intervention to restore operational efficiency, protect legitimate commercial interests and prevent further escalation of tensions at the Tema Port.
The time for urgent intervention is now.
SIGNED
Samson Asaki Awingobit
Executive Secretary
