The_Open_Door_deel1

-413-
the concession sector (LAMCO) represented only about 1 per cent
of the annual tonnage handled at the Port of Buchanan (34).
Initially all of Liberia's ports were managed by foreign firms
under management contracts concluded with the Liberian Government.
In April 1967, however, the National Port Authority (N.P.A.)
was created by an Act of the Legislature. This decision put an
end to an undesirable situation. Since the completion of the
Free Port of Monrovia it had been managed by a majority foreign
owned and foreign based company, the Monrovia Port Management
Company (M.P.M.C.). This company was owned by the Liberian Government
(12i$) and by the users of the Port (L.M.C, The Liberia
Company, Firestone e.g.) who, consequently, paid fees for the
utilisation of the port facilities which they had established
themselves. It goes without saying that they were greatly in favour
of a low level of these harbour fees (35). Twenty years after
the opening of the Free Port, the Headquarters of the company
which managed the Port were transferred from New York to Monrovia.
The following year, by Executive Order No. 11, all rights, duties,
obligations, etc. which the M.P.M.G. had under the management contract
concluded with the Liberian Government on July 26, 1948 were
transferred and assigned to the National Port Authority (36).
In the early 1970's the ports of Greenville and Harper were
taken over by the N.P.A. too. The Port of Greenville had been
managed by a German technical assistance team since its opening
in 1964. The Port of Harper had been managed by Frei & Zusli,
and later by the shipping company of UMARCO, before it was taken
over by the N.P.A. The Port of Buchanan was constructed by LAMCO
which company also managed the entire port until 1975, including
a commercial quay. In 1975 LAMCO turned over the management of
the Port of Buchanan to the National Port Authority.
The port constitutes a majott link in the transport of the Mt.
Nimba iron ore to the European and U.S. steel works. Rail
transport as well as port handling of the ore are highly
mechanized. The train which every day leaves Yekepa is controlled
by a radio-operated traffic control system from the train's
master panel in the mining city. After the 165 mile long journey
the ore is in the port of Buchanan transported through an
automated ore loading pier into the waiting vessels. The Port is
very well equipped and ship-to-shore radio contact allows
communication with vessels about a thousand sea-miles away from
the Port (37).
At the conclusion of this section on the water transport sector
attention must be drawn to the fact that at the end of the 1970's
the world's maritime nation nr. 1, Liberia, only had one
completely Liberian-owned shipping company. In 1974 DENCO had
been created. This company, majority-owned by Hilary A. Dennis,
provides shipping and related services along the West African
coast. As of November 1978 it owned seven ships (38). Two other
shipping companies are joint ventures of the Liberian Government