BY NDUMBE BELL GASTON IN DOUALA
The Director General of the Douala Autonomous Port (PAD) Cyrus Ngo’o, has declared his intentions to make the Douala Port have a new look. He did so at the 33rd Board session while presiding over the meeting that held at their headquarter precincts last Wednesday April 12.
As part of the solution, representatives of the Port of Douala and that of Bangui, it was revealed, have recently increased their expectations in the on-going normalisation of activities towards franchise holders.
The Board Chair revealed that “Rehabilitation or maintenance work on the main block is already in progress while studies being made to attract more personnel or expand the directorate of the port is in it’s second phase. Measures to improve security in the public services of the port are ongoing and procedures for ISPS certification is at an advanced stage. Meanwhile, the third container packing cross beam is to be launched on Tuesday April 18.”
On access to the port Cyrus Ngo’o stated that the initial dredging exercise of the seven meters wide waterways just ended. He declared that 35 out of 38 light buoys are working and that dredging will be resumed at the last 15 days of the month of May this year.
According to the Board Chair the installation of the Automatic Identification System (A.I.S) is at its final stage. The system will engulf the security assurance of the light buoys and therefore contribute as part of an integrated system with the marine’s security on the protection of these buoys. There is the expected arrival of four newly acquired floating machines of which there are three patrol boats. Another package of multifunctional engines and two more patrol boats are expected in September this year. The DG of PAD stated that he was open to dialogue with all stakeholders to find answers to very essential issues.