A Bulk Road Vehicle (BRV) parking terminal was on Wednesday inaugurated at Kpone in the Kpone Katamanso District of the Greater Accra Region.
The 950-tanker parking terminal facility is to provide a safe and decent tanker parking space aimed at eliminating the safety risk posed by the indiscriminate parking of tankers along the road.
The Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Mr Isaac Osei, who performed the inaugural ceremony on behalf of the Minister for Energy, Mr Peter Amewu explained that in the absence of a parking lot, the tanker drivers had resorted to parking the BRVs along the roads leading to the Tema Oil Refinery and other petroleum product storage depots in Tema.
He described the parking of tankers, sometimes loaded with petroleum products along the roads as a serious health and safety risk to life and property.
The Energy Minister, therefore, commended the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) for the project describing it as laudable.
He also commended the Tanker Drivers Union for their invaluable contribution to the distribution of Petroleum products in the downstream sector over the years.
The minister gave the assurance that the Government would do all in its power to ensure a conducive atmosphere for their business and operations.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NPA, Mr. Alhassan Tampuli observed that the dominant mode of petroleum product transportation, as well as deliveries to retail outlets and bulk customers in the country was done by the BRVs.
He said the construction of the facility was to ensure that the loading of petroleum products were properly regulated and to avert accidents caused by BRVs.
He said as partners in the industry, the NPA would continue to engage the tanker owners Union to improve the safety standards and practices in the industry in order to ensure their safety and that of other road users and the general public.
The Chairman for the Tanker Owners Union, Mr. James Ahiadome , revealed that for the past five years the Union had been struggling to park their vehicles hence resorting to do so along the road and causing traffic resulting in threats of legal actions against them.
He expressed appreciation to the NPA for their thoughtfulness noting that
it would go a long way to protect their properties, lives and the environment.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH, KPONE