A high power delegation from the National Port Authority (NPA) including journalists under the instruction of the Managing Director Sekou H. Dukuly visited the Buchanan Port in Grand Bass Country to conduct an assessment intended to ascertain first-hand information regarding challenges.
During the assessment tour, the delegation and journalists noticed that there is need for an immediate intervention to relocate the administrative building of the port, construct a coastal defense and expansion of the port peer to enable the facility to raise more revenue and mitigate the flooding erosion.
The assessment further uncovered that the Port of Buchanan is fast disappearing and has the potential of denying government millions in revenue generation due to low coastal defense which has overstayed its usefulness thereby allowing erosion to come on show, stalling operation and damaging properties at the facility.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the assessment tour, the Managing Director of the Port, Jonathan Lambort Kaipay said “on May 21, 2024, we had terrible experienced with the sea erosion which lead to immediate halt of operation of the port for approximately two days.”
He narrated that the erosion has also led to displacement of containers, relocation of cars and other objects from inside and outside the port; the destruction of electricity and over flooding of the entire peer and administrative building halted activities.
Kaipay said that Grand Bassa County and the government is gradually losing the port and may eventually lose millions in revenue generation and collection due to the sea erosion.
He called on the National Port Authority and the Government of Liberia to construct a stronger and well sophisticated coastal defense wall to stop the erosion.
“We want the government to bring a technical team that will conduct a feasibility study to save the second largest port in Liberia,” he noted.
However, he said that the technical team, hired by the NPA, government and partners will do the feasibility study and analysis and come out with the project cost and timeline.
For his part, Chief of Operations Col. Nathaniel K. Zorgay narrated that “on August 10, 2023, the wave at the port of Buchanan was very intense, to an extent nobody could work. There was water all over the port and the containers for three days.”
Col. Zorgay described the sea erosion at the port as a continuous process that is causing workers to fear for their lives.
“When the water starts overflowing, the first and second day can be very intense to the extent we have to suspend operation at the port and resume work after it subsides.
