Improvement of Port Safety and Efficiency in East Africa

Open Plan Consulting works in partnership with the International Maritime Safety Security Environment Academy of Genoa to develop the capacities of port authorities and port managers in the Guinea Gulf.

The Overall objective of the project is to support development in specific areas of Maritime transport in Africa. Although the programme has a strong focus in Western and Central Africa, the application to other regions should be possible as well. The focus of support should be on maritime safety rather than on maritime security. The key objectives are:

  1. Reduction of maritime and in-port accident/incident rates, caused by port related activities.
  2. Improvement of Port Efficiency by enhancing the performance of port authorities and private operators in ports.

The purposes of this service are as follows:

  1. support national maritime administrations and port authorities, the regional port association and the private sector to enhance port safety and security, including planning of implementing strategies and actions to enhance safe handling and storage of goods and security in ports
  2. Support port authorities in enhancing port efficiency, in particular in the area of special port and terminal planning, vehicle circulation in and around ports and in cargo handling performance through Public Private Partnership (PPP).

The results to be achieved by the service are as follows:

Result 1. Improved Port Safety and Security

  • A reduction of accident/incident rates caused by port related activities.
  • A minimum of 5 Port authorities of major ports in the region have established clear and complete port regulations on standards of handling and storage of dangerous/hazardous goods. These Port Authorities have furthermore verified that cargo handling operators have sufficient knowledge of IMDG regulations by certificates based on examination of staff of operators.
  • Improved implementation of SOLAS/ISPS code requirements in priority ports.
  • An improved system for accident/incident reporting by port operators to port authorities is effective, as well as an improved system of accident/incident cause investigation.

Result 2. Improved port efficiency

  • Improved mechanism of harmonizing land use planning (district and urban) in view of port and terminal development plans.
  • Improved vehicle logistics and traffic circulation schemes to enable sustainable and undisturbed connectivity from port to major transport corridors in the region.
  • Improved sustainable cargo handling performance in ports and terminals through planning and formulation of clear, comprehensive and unbiased public-private partnership schemes (PPP) in priority ports of the region.
  • Improved knowledge of staff in maritime and port authorities in composing and setting terminal concession conditions to private sector port operations.