By Mustapha Dumbuya
Bollore the company which runs operations at the Freetown terminal Port of the Queen Elizabeth II quay has on Thursday 25th March, 2021 updated newspaper editors on the progress made since 2020 to date at the Bollore Conference room.
Patrick B Sannoh, Quality Health Safety Manager said their main aim is to make sure that they have zero fatality deaths in the terminal and also promoting the health and safety policies recently developed by the company.
Mr Patrick revealed that since 2013 after they have developed a zero fatality policy together with a match-up of their action plan, they only have three minor injuries.
He also said they have developed a safety environmental disposal in which they spent over Ten Million Leones (Le10000000) to Masada a private refuse disposal company for waste bins.
He expressed that they every Friday the company engage employees to educate them on issues of safety and adding that even though it was quiet challenging during the COVID-19 they were able to put systems in place.  Â
During the presentation, Daniel Coker the Documentation and the Terminal manager said since the break out of the COVID-19 Pandemic the Freetown Terminal has implemented recommendations issued by port health, Public Health Authority and Bollore Port Safety instructions.
Mr Daniel continues that after the closure of the Freetown International Airport on the 21 March, 2020 the institution made progressive arrangement such as limited local activities by homework or shift work barrier gesture and the provision of a contingency plan in case of lock down and to be able to still operate vessels with minimal risks and manpower.
He noted that every container has seven (7) free days, 70% of customers clear their Cargoes within 10 days and 30% after 15 days.
He informed that they have been working with government agencies such as the Sierra Leone Port Authority, Ministry of Transport and Aviation, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Trade.
“Even though we have been working with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) but yet still challenges are faced through the issuance of fake invoices that has been undermining our work seriously†he said.
He ended that previously customers have been getting money challenges as they only have ECO Bank but quiet recently they have added Grantee Trust Bank (GTB) where all payments should be made.
Gassim Fofanah the public relations officer for the Freetown Terminal said they have spent over eight hundred million (800,000,000) on Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) for 2020.
He also said that Moa Wharf Community has been struggle to get safe and clean water but with the intervention of Bollore they were able to support them with five (5) five hundred (500) liters of Milla tanks and plumbing accessories to install the tanks in various points.
Mr Gassim explained that of the outbreak of COVID-19 the Freetown Terminal takes the implications of the outbreak seriously adding that they also offered support to many deprived communities like Moa wharf and sea side communities surrounding their operations.
He noted that some others institutions such as Disability Right Movement, Blind School in Freetown and Makeni including two communities in constituency 121and 122 have benefitted from their humanitarian gesture.
The PRO said in March and April 2020 the Freetown Terminal and Bollore Transport and Logistics made a combination donation of assorted items for COVID-19 preventive measures such as hand sanitation, soap, hand washing tanks and food items includes 170 bags of rice 118 bags of onions, 118 20L of cooking oil, 55cartons of Maggie and 55 cartoons of tomato paste.
He said the marathon donation is a yearly event that takes place on September and it was only established for the purpose of charity adding that in September 2020 both of the institutions went at the King Georges old people’s home at Grafton where they donated some essential items.
The items which they donated include rice, onions cooking oil Maggie, tomatoes and other cooking items.
