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The (GPA) Gambia Ports
Authority is charged with administering the
docks situated at Banjul.
It was created in 1972 by the Ports Act to operate
the ports of the Gambia on a commercial basis.
It was given the mandate to manage and provide all necessary
marine and harbour facilities, cargo handling equipment and
storage as well as to regulate, enhance and to carry out regular
maintenance of the complex.
The facilities were previously under the control of the now
defunct Marine Department. The GPA is owned by the
Government which has a share capital of 16.3 million Dalasis.
The seaport stands at the very core of the Trade Gateway Project
which it is intended to enable The Gambia to establish itself as
a globally competitive export and processing center. It makes up
almost 90% of the Gambia's total foreign trade in weight and
volume terms.
Main Functions:
The port is mostly
used for loading and offloading the cargo for
container ships,
tankers, role-on / role-off and ocean going cargo vessels. It
also provides a maritime base for the Gambian National Navy
because of its ideal position at the mouth of the
river.
In 2001 the management and operations of the
ferry service was taken away from the Public Transport Corp.
and given over to the GPA. Included in the transfer were the
other eight ferry crossing points in the country.
Historical Developments:
Over the years the development of the port of
Banjul has been done in various
stages. In 1972 there was a 122 m jetty, a 102m Inside Back with
two warehouses and 10 large container cargo.
Towards the end of the decade and into the 1980s
the growth in international trade meant the port
required more open storage cargos as opposed to
closed storage. The construction of an extra jetty
was carried out which was 123m in length and 30m
wide. In 1995 the expansion of cargo and container
traffic necessitated more expansion. Then there
was an urgent need for dedicated roll-on
roll-off facilities and further expansion of
one of the jetties (123m) by an extra 177 m.
Location:
Latitude 13° degrees 27°
North and longitude 16° degrees 34'
West. It is located on the mouth of the Gambia River, one of the
world's busiest shipping lanes.
General Information:
The execution of the Port Master Plan created in 1991 involved
the expansion and modernisation of the capacity of the port
through increased investments.
These investments have
enhanced cargo handling to a yearly 1.5 million tons, total pier
length to 750 metres, covered storage area is 3,000 sq. metres
and uncovered storage capacity is 38,000 sq. metres.
Computerisation:
The Gambia Ports Authority has developed a set of computer
applications called POPS for Windows, using in-house developers.
These applications have been created to satisfy the information
needs of the port's management and to enhance the operational
control requirements of a modern seaport. The system can handle
over 1,000 pc users at the same time.
Wharf Mooring Capacity:
There are
currently five berths and
role-on / role-off ramp in operation for suitable sea vessels.
The
New Banjul Jetty's outer dock 3A and 3B can
accommodate a maximum of 2 container ships for vessels with
draughts of between -12 to -14 metres. The Banjul Wharf
inner dock no. 2 (its outer berth has a navigation depth of
between -9.5 and -12.0 metres while that of the inner berth is
-8.0 metres) and the New Banjul Jetty's inner dock no. 4 are
deemed to be appropriate for smaller vessels such as fishing
boats and coast-going vessels. Berth no. 1 is considered without
restriction since all other non-container vessels could be
mooring there. However, it is mainly utilised by oil tankers and
general purpose cargo ships. The New Banjul Jetty's inner dock
no. 4 and the Banjul Wharf Jetty's inner dock no. 2 are
deemed to be appropriate for smaller vessels such as fishing
boats and coast-going vessels.
Containerization Facilities & Volumes:
|
NAME |
Stack Height |
Working Slots |
Yard Utilisation |
Static Slots |
Ground Slots |
| S.
Terminal |
3 |
108 |
90% |
216 |
72 |
| N.
Terminal |
3 |
381 |
90% |
762 |
254 |
PWD.
Empties |
3 |
523 |
90% |
|
218 |
PWD.
Reefer |
1 |
8 |
90% |
8 |
8 |
| Container moves are at the
maximum rate of 17 per hour. |
Cargo Handling Equipment:
FORK LIFT TRUCKS:-
2.5 - 3.5 Tons 5
5.0 - 7.0 Tons 6
10 - 12 Tons 4
Merseyside Ferguson Tractors 2
Cranes 10 to 20 tons 2
Container Handlers 16 - 44
tons 6
Tug Master Trailers 9
Bulk Handling Facilities:
The port can deal with different kinds of dry or
liquid bulk
items. These are petroleum products (HFO, aviation fuel, diesel
and liquid/solid fats), loose cement, groundnut cake and oil.
Standard Seaborne Cargo:-
Break bulk
are goods brought in bags and full vessels or holds commodities
such as sugars, flour, rice, and fertiliser. On average such
vessels offload between 5-7 thousand tonnes. Gross performance
varies between 7 to 13 tonnes per hook and hour gross. Bagged
cargo is delivered directly from the vessel to importer's truck.
Petroleum:-
There is an Oil
Boom with a length of 187.5m and a Puma generator for its
deployment. Pipeline pumping efficiency is 147 tonnes per gross
hour. The expected rate of gross unloading from tanker to road
vehicle is 31 tonnes per hour.
Cement:-
Bulk cement is
accepted in batches of a maximum of 8,000 - 10,000 tonnes
per ship. The vessels are unloaded of their commodities by a mobile and
electric vertical screw conveyor (Siwertel) at the quayside with
a capacity of 85,000 - 100,000 tonnes per hour.
Average Waiting Times:
The average length of time a ship spends anchored up at the
terminal for
bringing items on board or off-loading is largely determined by
the sort of cargo it is
carrying. Container (box) and role-on / role-off ships stay at
the terminal for an
average time of 24 hours, while ships with a displacement
tonnage of 15,000 metric tonnes lie alongside an average of 15 days.
Note:
The port has a deep sheltered anchorage with no record of piracy
to date.
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