A modern container ship port called Tema Port
has been built at Tema, Ghana.
It is the largest of two ports in Ghana.
The port includes a quay wall built with
74 caissons placed on a dredged trench
19 meters deep.
The caissons were filled with sand,
with concrete poured on top.
Additional upgrades of the port are planned.
Figure 1:
Container ship docking at a caisson quay wall
at Tema Port, Ghana.
[MPS]
Longitude zero
(the Prime Meridian)
passes through Tema.
The consortium that built Tema Port
calls itself Meridian Port Services (MPS).
Tema Port constructed its caissons on land.
Each caisson was delivered to a semi-submersible barge
by rolling the caisson on strong flexible tubes
that are filled with compressed air or gas.
Figure 2:
Rolling a concrete caisson to a semi-submersible barge at Tema Port.
Rollers laying flat before inflation are shown on the barge.
Note the yellow air compressor trailer for inflating rollers.
[MPS]
Figure 3:
Loading the caisson on the barge.
Additional caissons shown at right.
[MPS]
Figure 4:
Transporting the caisson on the barge.
Barge cranes have positioned worker catwalks on the caisson.
A foot bridge extends down to the caisson from
a vertical side of the semi-submersible barge.
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Figure 5:
The caisson being transported,
viewed from one of the vertical sides
of the semi-submersible barge that is transporting the caisson.
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Figure 6:
The barge has partially submerged and the caisson is now floating.
The vertical sides of the barge are lower, and the foot bridge has been removed.
Workers on the catwalks on top of the caisson will ride along with the caisson
as it is floated away from the partially submerged barge.
[MPS]
Figure 7:
The caisson is fastened to a standard crane barge.
The semi-submersible barge is shown at top.
[MPS]
Figure 8:
Caisson is fastened to the crane barge.
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Figure 9:
Looking down into the caisson as it is fastened to the crane barge.
[MPS]
The crane barge will move the caisson into position
where the workers on top will assist in preparing to
sink the caisson.
After the caissons are placed,
newly retained land is filled in
and the concrete quay deck is poured
Following construction of the quay,
new cranes arrive by ship.
Figure 10:
Quay cranes arrive to be installed on the new quay.
[MPS]
