Freetown Terminal Limited, a subsidiary of Bollore Group says it is investing $120million in port expansion and development, as well as the purchase of modern port equipment. In this regard the company is training locals to handle the new state-of-the-art equipment.
Speaking to journalists, the Country Manager of Bollore Group, Captain Fabjanko Kokan said that in this regard they had contracted a Belgium-based-company, Global Port Training, to train 35 Sierra Leoneans to operate brand new port equipment brought into the country in May this year.
12 people have been identified to undergo training in Ship-To-Shore Crane operations, whilst 23 others will be trained in rubber-tired gantry (RTG crane).
Captain Kokan said the company was committed to training its local staff so as to prepare them well to operate Freetown Terminal’s new equipment, including the $30million mobile cranes.
“It is worthy to train them because Sierra Leone will be proud of having qualified modern crane operators who will be handling our expensive port equipment,” he said.
The company used to handle 34 containers per hour. But the new equipment will now enable Freetown Terminal Limited to handle 40 containers per hour.
“We want to send a clear message to investors out there that Sierra Leone is ready for investment,” he remarked.
Head of Delegation, Global Port Training, Ronny Vonsselmans described his company as one of the biggest in the world, adding that they had professionals working in various fields on port equipment operations.
He said the company had provided services to over 60 countries across the globe.
Vonsselmans said they selected the best candidates for the training based on their eligibility to operate port equipment.
The trainees have so far completed the theory aspect of the course and are on practical.
“It has proven to be a successful approach to invest in local people. Freetown Terminal will boast of having excellent operators upon complementation of the training,” Vonsselmans revealed.
The Freetown Terminal’s Operations Manager, Abu Bakarr Sesay said the essence of the training was to empower Sierra Leoneans, noting that operating modern port machines the country was making tremendous progress.
“This is aimed at transforming the port into a standard trans-shipment port,” he said, revealing further that the equipment would be operated by Sierra Leoneans.
The Roster Control Officer, Ishmael Conteh underscored the importance of the training, noting that the lucky participants were well screened before they were selected.
Trainees Umaru Kamara (Ship-To-Shore Crane Operator) and Abu Bakarr Turay (rubber tired gantry crane operator) assured that they were more than willing and proud to be the first batch of Sierra Leoneans to be trained to operate modern port equipment and facilities.
They thanked Bollore Group for the opportunity accorded them and assured that they would live up to the task.
The company in May announced it had received modern port equipment that would be operated by Sierra Leoneans, comprising two Ship-to-Shore cranes and four Rubber Tire Gantry cranes. These are expected to be ready for operations in September.
Each Ship to Shore Crane has a capacity of 1,200 tons weight and both can handle 6,000 containers.
© 2018 Politico Online
