Ghana Gas Company Saga: Entire Container On Chinese Vessel Did Not Sink

The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) says Ghana Gas Company did not lose �the whole container� carrying a consignment, including 34 fabricated plates for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage tank meant to be used by the company. The consignment, which also included some important accessories for the storage and condensing tank, was said to have sunk when the Chinese vessel in which it was being carried, the Senghuang Song, was involved in an accident on August 8, this year. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Gas Company, Dr George Adjah Sipa-Yankey, on Monday told Kwami Sefa Kayi, host of PeaceFM�s flagship programme, �Kokrokoo�, that with the loss of the items, the company would not be able to generate the first gas after the contemplated December 31, 2013 completion date. He said the commercial production of lean gas, LPG and condensates was likely to commence after March, 2014, culminating in a 90-day lost opportunity for fuel substitution for power generation by the Volta River Authority (VRA). Speaking in an interview on the same platform on Tuesday, Mr Carlos Ahinkorah, President of GIFF said contrary to earlier reports that the container might have been lost at sea due to bad weather, the ship owners have disclosed that the entire container did not sink. �There is some truth in the earlier report, just that it was not the entire container that sunk. The shipping agency had their own container on board the vessel and the containers were a bit old and so in the midst of the stormy weather and how rough the sea was, the container got split at the top and some of the consignment had to fall off into the sea. However, some were still left inside the container,� he disclosed. He said whatever was on board the vessel which was earmarked for Ghana was in the name of Ghana Gas Company; hence no other company�s goods were affected. He also indicated that the Chinese Vessel which was carrying the containers has been seen off the Coast of South Africa. The vessel was transporting the consignment on behalf of the contractors, Sinopec, to the Atuabo site when the incident occurred. Luckily for Ghana Gas, however, Sinopec insured the consignment and has since notified its insurers who are replacing the lost and damaged equipment. But the sad news is that the inability of the Ghana Gas Company to begin commercial delivery of gas from the Atuabo Gas facility in January, 2014, is likely to cost the country $340 million. Mr Ahinkorah added that even though it will take time, the insurance firm will take care of whatever that was lost.