NPA responds to media reports

The management of the National Port Authority(NPA) says the NPA is solvent; and has termed as fake, malicious and misleading the document purported to be an NPA Ecobank bank statement as well as other allegations of impropriety at the entity from hired sources.

The NPA management said it is amazingly unthinkable that any patriotic individual would claim that the NPA had a negative $54,034.08 in its coffers as of July 2017. The Management explained that the NPA has more than one account at more than one bank so to falsify one bank account document and used it to make fake claims is very unfortunate.

Regarding the allegation that Captain Armett Hill was excluded from the dredging process, the NPA management says that is false and finds it reprehensible to claim that management would exclude the preeminent technician from the process since all marine related issues, including dredging, falls directly under his supervision. Captain, Armett Hill, management said, is the lead on all marine matters and was the one who received, review and approved all survey and dredging reports from the contractors Biggs and Nordse before management made payments.

The NPA management said the claim that pre-dredge survey for the just completed dredging of the Freeport of Monrovia cost US$400,000 is again purposefully incorrect. Pre- and post-dredge surveys cost US$480,000. Only half of the amount was paid for pre-dredging survey. The independent pre-dredge survey report intended to establish the amount of work to be done and cost which form the basis for the bid document and is also compared to the contractors’ survey in order to establish the amount of siltation and final cost.

The NPA management completed dredging of the Freeport of Monrovia and reports that the bid and contract award processes followed all PPCC and PFM laws. PPCC gave NPA a NO OBJECTION letter to award contract to Nordse. And as is required, both Ministries of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Justice reviewed, approved and attested to the contract, the NPA management averred, adding, this dredging was accomplished at one of the historically lowest costs; and much deeper depth than the last dredging.

Commenting further on allegations surrounding the legitimate cancellation of the corporate headquarters bidding process, the NPA management said headquarter bidding process was cancelled consistent with PPCC laws and regulations. The NPA requested and obtained a NO OBJECTION to cancel from the PPCC, having provided reasonable justification for the decision, the management explained. On the specifically issue of moving money intended for corporate headquarters to dredging, the NPA management explained that budgeted amounts doesn’t mean cash is on hand as they are projections based on historical data and expectations, which may or may not be realized as was in the case of the headquarters process.

The management explained that it would do the country a load of good for individuals, detractors especially, to be factual, counter check their source documents and verify same before maligning the character of hard working individuals who can actually demonstrate value for money at any point in time.

The NPA Management said it will remain focused on the developing and modernizing the port and that at the appropriate time, the public will be invited to come and see the level of transformation taking place at the Freeport of Monrovia.-Press release