Former Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit Limited (MMTL), Albert Adu-Boahen, has expressed surprise that a container of spare parts supplied by Dutch firm VDL remains uncleared at the port more than a year after he left office.
His comments follow media reports suggesting the container has been stuck at the port for nearly two years, further worsening MMTL’s operational and financial challenges. The current Managing Director, Kale Cesar, has reportedly indicated that steps are being taken to secure the container’s release.
Speaking in an interview on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show, Mr. Adu-Boahen said that at the time he exited office, the delay was due solely to high shipping line charges—an issue he noted management was already working to resolve.
He explained that the consignment arrived in April 2024 and that the majority of the shipment had been successfully cleared.
“We had cleared about 30 buses and four other containers. Only one container was left,” he said.
According to him, by the time all the necessary documentation was completed, the remaining container had stayed at the port long enough for shipping line charges to rise to about $350,000—an amount management strongly disputed.
“I challenged the charges and formally petitioned the Ministry of Transport to engage the shipping line for a reduction. We were at the tail end of the clearance process,” he noted.
Mr. Adu-Boahen said he is therefore surprised that, more than a year after his departure, the container is still at the port.
