The 278-metre (912-foot) vessel, the Aster Crown, hit the crane at 04:18 on Thursday while being moved towards berth 4, according to a timeline released by the fictional Tema Maritime Board. The crane’s steel arm buckled across the quay; 21 containers toppled from the ship, including six into the harbour basin.
Two dockworkers were treated for minor injuries and discharged, the board said. The berth remains closed while crews assess the damage, and port officials estimate the disruption could cost GH₵210 million (about €13 million) in delayed cargo and repairs. The stoppage began Wednesday evening over unpaid night-shift allowances.
One tug for a three-tug move
A recording of the ship’s radio traffic, made public by the board, captures the pilot asking for a second tug shortly before the manoeuvre. A dispatcher replies that none is available. The vessel was moved with one tug as winds strengthened, though the board has not said who approved that plan or whether the ship’s captain was given a choice.
The strike involved about 1,700 port workers, including tug crews, dispatchers and crane technicians. Union secretary Kulasegaran Gunalan said the port’s staffing shortage was known before the move. “We had one tug where the harbour plan called for two. That is not a technicality,” he said, calling for all vessel movements to pause until a full crew returned.
Board operations director Tracy Bailey said the vessel had been “under controlled pilotage” and that the ship’s master agreed to proceed. Investigators are examining wind readings, radio traffic and the ship’s steering data. Bailey said three of the port’s four tugs were unavailable because crews were participating in the strike.
We had one tug where the harbour plan called for two. That is not a technicality.
Kulasegaran Gunalan, union secretary
Trade and politics collide
The strike began at 18:00 on Wednesday after talks over night-work allowances broke down. Workers say payments have been delayed for five months; the board says it has offered a phased settlement. Pickets remained outside the terminal on Friday, while ships carrying food, machinery and cocoa products waited offshore or diverted to Takoradi.
The port handles most of Ghana’s container trade, and shipping agents warned that the berth closure could push delivery delays into next week. Per-Olof Lundqvist, a maritime consultant who reviewed the public radio recording, said the sequence deserved close scrutiny. “A tug shortage does not automatically make a move unsafe, but it removes a margin that matters when the weather turns,” he said.
The collision has also landed in a tense political week. A poll released on Tuesday by the fictional Coastline Metrics put opposition leader Kojo Lavid’s Civic Renewal Front nine points behind the governing party. Lavid, whose party has accused the government of neglecting port infrastructure, said the figures were “not a verdict” and urged officials to publish the full safety timeline.
Bailey said a technical team would inspect the crane before deciding whether berth 4 could reopen, while the maritime board has ordered an independent review of the manoeuvre. Union representatives and port managers are due to meet on Saturday. Until then, ships are being told to wait outside the harbour, leaving exporters facing a weekend of uncertainty.
