Africa-Press – Liberia. The port of Buchanan is facing a significant threat as coastal erosion continues to ravage its facility, causing a regression of the shoreline and posing risks to both employees and infrastructure.
The recent tour of the area by Port Manager Jonathan L. Kaipay and Chief of Operation, Nathaniel K. Zeogay, revealed the impact of the sea-level rise on the port’s operations and highlighted the urgent need for intervention to address the climate-induced challenges.
Massive sea level rise practically brought the operation of the port to a halt on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
“The sea level started to rise causing destruction here at the port. Most of our wires got destroyed and, of course, certain portion of the port remains in darkness,” Kaipay narrated about the incident to journalists after a tour of the port facility last weekend.
Kaipay’s call for a coastal assessment study to safeguard the port from the effects of sea-level rise and his recommendation for a coastal defense system underscore the seriousness of the situation.
He further discussed his assessment report, which he noted was done to summarize what he took over, having visited the facility in March 2024.
He disclosed that the estimated costs of building a coastal defense system are projected to be between US$1-2 million, emphasizing the financial resources required to address the ongoing coastal erosion issues.
Furthermore, the assessment report presented by Kaipay outlined various challenges faced by the port, including overcrowding, workforce size increase, equipment malfunctions, and administrative constraints.
Despite these challenges, the management’s vision for the port of Buchanan aims to modernize the facility, enhance workforce capacity and efficiency, and attract potential investors to promote economic growth in the region.
The port of Buchanan has raised more than US$3 million annually. Between March to May, 2024, the port had raised over US$1 million. Constructing a coastal defense and making this second largest port in Liberia more attractive will widen the gateway to the Liberian economy, according to Manager Kaipay.
The former senator of Grand Bassa County disclosed that during the transition, he was not privileged to have a turnover engagement with his immediate predecessor. He cataloged over crowdedness, a rise in the normal size of the workforce from between 40 to 50 employees to 73, with 111 contractors. He added that terms of reference were a major concern of employees while the only bus to commute staff was out of order as the port was also challenged to run a generator coupled with the challenge of marine services and lack of a fire truck.
“We did the assessment of management, and we have been working hard at different levels. We have restored the bus and generator. We made sure that some benefits like the distribution of rice have started to come,” he said.
Kaipay revealed what he termed as vision for the port of Buchanan, stressing on providing modern facilities to meet current realities and managing an agile workforce to enhance efficiency and productivity by providing training and capacity building. Recruitment of young people who will go into marine services, and procurement of needed equipment, he said are goals his management is engaging with NPA and ArcelorMittal Liberia to deepen the depth of the port to suit larger cargo ships with the deepest draughts, among other things.
“We want to berth more vessels, currently we’re berthing between 90 to 100 vessels annually, of which 60% to 65% are berthed at the Iron Ore pier. We hope that working with ArcelorMittal and central management this vision will be achieved,” he noted, adding that other high-profile investors have expressed interest in having investment at the port of Buchanan.
He also said his management is working with central administration to ensure that the administrative office of the Buchanan Port is relocated to separate administration from operation in line with best practice.
Kaipay praised Sekou H. Dukuly, Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA) for his enormous support towards the port, but, termed the sea-level rise as a fearful occurrence.
Nathaniel K. Zeogay, Chief of Operating Officer at the Port of Buchanan, accompanied a team of journalists who visited the area on Friday, May 31, 2024 and toured the facility to gather first-hand information emanating from coastal impacts.
“This port operates in a deplorable state with coastal erosion connecting together under the ground to break its infrastructure apart,” Zeogay said.
Recalling his experience during the tour, Zeogay said, “In May this year the sea-level rise ravaged parts of the administrative office of the port and destroyed several materials, which also occurred on August 10, 2023,” he recalled.
“Last year it happened. For three days we did not work because of the impact. Again the same situation occurred this year in May, causing us to cease port operation. We are deeply worried and we want the government to intervene immediately,” he narrated.
Several employees who commented believe the solution to this problem is to intensify the coastal defense of the port, which they pinpointed will protect its infrastructure from the existential risks posed by the climate crisis. They emphasized the urgent need by constructing a more sophisticated rock revetment to protect the port against coastal erosion and storms.
The call for immediate government intervention to address the coastal erosion and enhance the port’s infrastructure reflects the pressing need to protect and sustain the second largest port in Liberia.
The historical significance of the port, constructed in the 1960s by the Liberia-American Swedish Mining Corporation (LAMCO), underscores its importance as a key economic gateway. Efforts to secure the port against climate-related threats are essential to ensure the continued operations and viability of this vital maritime facility.
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