Author Archives: Melle Smets

Export of the Turtle from Tema Harbor: Finally!

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Finally, we received the official document to get the car out of the harbor. After four days of waiting and meetings, the word ‘released’ has become a special word to the expedition team.
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TK is one of the manager at UPT, an important stakeholder in the project, and our big help. Without his fixing skills we would be lost in the harbor. Especially his smiles and enthusiasm proof very effective in solving problems.Schermafbeelding 2015-04-23 om 02.14.18

Now the car is out of the harbor, we prepare ourselves for the journey to Kumasi. Osu and Lamous, two of the most loyal mechanics of the Turtle project travelled to Accra on their own expense to help us out. At 8:00 we are awaiting our departure. The Turtle is however still stuck in traffic and it will take to 10:00 until we finally are on our way.
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Last check up before our journey that will take us through the mountainous central part of Ghana, Eastern region and finally to Kumasi. A good test to see how the Turtle reacts to the challenges of the rough Ghanaian conditions after a period of hibernation in Europe.
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In the Eastern region of Ghana the Turtle feels at home and cruises at a comfortable speed.
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At lunch time we stop for a traditional lunch: Fufu, a soup with bushmeat, goat and ‘cassava balls’ where all lunch guests join in. It is always a pleasure to dig in and some members of the team cannot wait to get started.
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There are some small problems with the gas tank. Nothing that the mechanics cannot fix. Still, we have to wait for an hour. Meanwhile, some local cacao farmers, join us and want to learn more about the car they heard about on the radio but have not seen before themselves.
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The first official stakeholders meeting in Accra

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Today we had the first official stakeholders meeting: The Turtle team was hosted by the pension fund UTP in their Accra office. Together with SMIDO members, the board of UTP and Aardschap we shared the first idea’s of the future of the Turtle.

UTP Is the main partner of SMIDO in executing the pension fund for their members. UTP took up the task to create a pension fund for the informal sector. Therefore they set up shop in Suame Magazine to get the people on board.

We are very delighted to work with the UTP team to draft the outlines for the future plan of the Turtle. The coming two weeks we will work hard to get new stakeholders on board.

The Turtle is on it’s way.

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This morning the Turtle was picked up in Rotterdam to travel back to Ghana. With the support of Francois de Koff from Trafic we managed to belay the car into a fruit container of Compagnie de Fruitiere. We will follow the Turtle in April to bring her home!

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The Turtle is now officially a work of Art!

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The shipment of the Turtle from the Netherlands to Ghana is a complex puzzle; the Turtle is not a car in a legal sense or practical sense. The vehicle is not approved by the Ghanaian government, nor the Dutch government, to be driven on the road. So how to define a car to the customs, which is not a car and built from scrap car parts from all over the world?

To return the Turtle back home we got the help of the Burger Group and the Supermaritime group. Through the expertise of both companies this task can be accomplished, something we could never have achieved alone. The Turtle is now officially an artwork traveling to Ghana for exhibition purposes. The Compagnie Fruitiere group is sponsoring the boat fare from Antwerp to Tema.

Schermafbeelding 2015-03-07 om 13.22.09 Royal Burger Group logoaelsupermaritime