Tank Farm Owner Count Losses Over Apapa Traffic Gridlock

Managing Director, Seaside Petroleum Company Ltd, Mr Danladi Thomas, has lamented that the persistent gridlock around the Apapa had impacted negatively on petroleum depot operations in the area,
Thomas said that the gridlock had eroded the company's revenue and make it near impossible for it to be able to service its clients.
According to him, “most of the trucks that are supposed to come and load are trapped in the hold-ups for several hours, making most depots to perform below 50 per cent of their operational capacity

Managing Director, Seaside Petroleum Company Ltd, Mr Danladi Thomas, has lamented that the persistent gridlock around the Apapa had impacted negatively on petroleum depot operations in the area,
Thomas said that the gridlock had eroded the company's revenue and make it near impossible for it to be able to service its clients.
According to him, “most of the trucks that are supposed to come and load are trapped in the hold-ups for several hours, making most depots to perform below 50 per cent of their operational capacity
“The storage tanks are filled with products but there are no trucks to load.
“Our depot that is known for dispensing products through night loading, so as to be able to meet the demands of its marketers, is unable to do so now because there are no trucks to load
“Most marketers are complaining of the high number of hours it now takes their trucks to make it to the depots to load.
“Some vessels are queuing to discharge petroleum products, while some of the storage tanks are filled with products but can not be dispensed as there are no haulage trucks to load,” Thomas said
He said that an average of about 200 trucks daily were lost to the gridlock for all the depots in Apapa.
“This act is indeed giving stakeholders a source of concern, as a tanker of 33,000 litres costs about three million naira.
“Many people are trying to avoid the oil transactions around the Apapa axis, where over 80 per cent of oil depots are located,’’ he said.
Most of the depots around the axis are now deserted, with their workers discussing the development which has entered the third week.
It would also be recalled that Gov. Babatunde Fashola had visited Apapa last week and condemned the development, stressing that an urgent solution was needed to free the roads and enhance business activities in the area.