One of the shipping lines that were singled out for allegedly not having a holding bay for empty containers; MSC Shipping has come out boldly against the allegations.
It also denied that its operation have been suspended by the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) on account of the holding bay controversy.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Hadiza Bala Usman had at a meeting with stakeholders penultimate week in Apapa came hard on shipping lines for allegedly contributing to the congested approaches to Lagos ports by empty container-laden trucks.
She accused them of not providing holding bays for their empty containers.
But in a statement on the controversy, the Logistics Manager of MSC; Mr Kehinde Iyawun categorically denounced the allegation that his company does not have holding bays.
In the statement, a copy of which was sent to Shipping Position Daily MSC submitted that it had two holding bays. According to Mr Iyawun, one of the holding bays is located at SIFAX off-dock terminal in Okota. He added that the Okota facility each has capacity for holding 2,500 TEUs, with a total capacity of 5000 TEUs
The Logistics Manager of MSC explained that, there is another holding bay at the Advanced International Merchants Limited (AIML) located on kilometer 8, from Redeemed Camp Gate, on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; he added that this facility has capacity to hold 5,000 TEUs.
The “MSC holding bays are situated as stated below; we have two holding bays at Sifax off dock terminal, Okota which has capacity of 2,500 each, 5,000 capacity.
“We also have another holding bay at Sagamu at Advanced International Merchants Limited (AIML), kilometer 8, from Redeemed Camp Gate, Sagamu, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway which also has a capacity of 5,000 TEUs’’, the statement explained , even as it appealed that ‘’general public, importers and freight forwarders to return our empties to any of the stated addresses above’’.
On the rumoured suspension by the NPA, MSC denied that any such action was taken against it. ” We received with utmost shock that the Nigerian Ports Authority has suspended our operation due to lack of holding bay. Permit me to state that our operations were not suspended by the authority, because MSC have more than one holding bay’’.
The company however acknowledged that there must have been a mix-up.
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