A frontline freight forwarder, Mr. George Okafor has lamented congestion of imported vehicles at the Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML), even as blamed truck drivers for blocking access into and out of the ports.
Okafor said this last week in a chat with Shipping Position Daily at PTML, in Tin-Can Island ports, Lagos state.
Okafor who is also the PTML chapter chairman of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) lauded the terminal operator and its shipping arm, Grimaldi for trying their best to ensure maximum satisfaction of their customers.
He also said that despite the small space in the terminal, it still receives vehicles in thousands on a daily basis, adding that the operators are not happy that imported vehicles are being delayed at the terminal.
“What I can tell you is that Grimaldi being a vehicle port, they are doing their best because the number of vehicles that they deliver every day is in thousands and this place is very small, coupled with the traffic”
“So they are not happy that vehicles are being delayed at the ports, they are losing money. Because if they didn’t transfer your cargo from the port side to the terminal, you can’t take delivery, they want every consignment to go”, he explained.
He however noted that even the terminal operator is losing a lot of money because until the vehicles at the terminal are evacuated, new ones won’t be discharged.
“I have spoken to the MD of the terminal on this and he explained to me that they are not even happy with the situation, when they want to leave, the truck will block the roads and there is no other way to move until those trucks leave the road before the cargoes can leave”, he told our correspondent.
Okafor denied the accusation that 99% of imported vehicles into the country are damaged.
“It is until those vehicles in the terminal are evacuated that the other ones can be discharged and that is causing congestion inside. It is not true that 99% of the vehicles coming into the country are damaged, but I cannot say that all of them are in good shape” he concluded.
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