Bibiani-Bekwai MP Demands Crackdown on Unsecured Shipping Containers on Ghana’s Highways
The Member of Parliament for Bibiani Bekwai, Hon. Bright Asamoah Brefo, has raised alarm over what he describes as a growing public safety crisis caused by the transportation of unsecured shipping containers on Ghana’s highways, calling for immediate enforcement measures to prevent further loss of lives.
Delivering a statement on the floor of Parliament, the MP said the persistent practice of transporting shipping containers from the Tema Port without properly engaging mechanical twist locks has turned major highways into dangerous corridors, exposing motorists, commuters and pedestrians to fatal accidents.
Mr. Asamoah Brefo described the situation as a national emergency that requires urgent intervention from regulatory and law enforcement agencies.
“I stand here to address a silent, heavy-metal executioner stalking our roads: the widespread, reckless, and illegal transportation of unlatched shipping containers from the Tema Port to various parts of the country,” he declared.
According to him, hundreds of articulated trucks leave the Tema Port daily carrying 20-foot and 40-foot containers loaded with heavy cargo along major routes including the Accra-Tema Motorway, Spintex Road and highways leading to Kumasi and the northern parts of the country without properly anchoring the containers to the truck chassis.
He warned that many of these containers are merely balanced on flatbed trailers instead of being mechanically secured, creating a serious threat to public safety.
“The continuous failure of articulated trucks and flatbed drivers to safely secure heavy-duty shipping containers has escalated into a critical public safety crisis,” he said.
The MP noted that several densely populated areas, including Nungua First Junction, the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Overpass, Kejetia and Spintex, have witnessed fatal accidents resulting from falling containers.
He lamented that these preventable incidents have led to deaths, permanent disabilities, destruction of property and prolonged traffic congestion with significant economic consequences.
Explaining the technical requirements for transporting containers safely, Mr. Asamoah Brefo said international shipping standards require containers to be mechanically locked onto trailers using standard twist locks located at the four corners of the flatbed.
“When engaged, these locks fuse the container and the truck into a single structural unit,” he explained.
He, however, accused many transport operators of ignoring these safety mechanisms because their trailers are old, damaged or substandard, opting instead to use ropes or fabric straps to hold containers in place.
“A fabric strap cannot defy the laws of physics,” he stressed. “When one of these heavy trucks with an unlatched container hits a deep pothole, brakes suddenly, swerves or negotiates a sharp curve, the straps will snap and the container will slide off, crushing everything in its path.”
The legislator said the danger is no longer hypothetical, insisting that innocent road users continue to lose their lives because of negligence.
“Our citizens are being buried in their cars. Innocent families, commuters in trotros and roadside traders are being flattened by falling steel boxes because a driver or transport owner wanted to save five minutes at the port,” he lamented.
Citing Regulation 52 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180), Mr. Asamoah Brefo reminded Parliament that the law prohibits the use of vehicles carrying loads that are not securely bound or packed to prevent shifting or falling during transit.
He noted that violations of the regulation constitute criminal offences punishable by fines, imprisonment or both.
The MP called on the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to immediately introduce a mandatory “No Twist Lock, No Gate-Out” policy to ensure that no container truck leaves the Tema Port without proper inspection and certification.
He also urged the Motor Transport and Traffic Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service to impound and prosecute drivers found transporting containers without properly engaged twist locks.
Additionally, he appealed to the Ministry of Transport and the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to impose strict sanctions on haulage companies and transport unions that continue to deploy unsafe and defective trailers onto the country’s roads.
Mr. Asamoah Brefo concluded by urging Parliament, particularly the Committee on Transport, together with the country’s security agencies, to treat the issue as a matter of national urgency.
“We must act before the next container falls,” he cautioned.
Source: Felix NYAABA/ expressnewsghana.com
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