• Ships released after weeks in detention
• Rival players fingered
About 250,000MT of bulk cement said to have been brought into Nigeria by one of the players in the highly competitive cement importation business; Minaj Cement.
The Port Harcourt, Rivers State-based company reportedly brought the bulk cement in aboard five vessels, but sources close to the industry confirmed to our correspondent that high level intrigues have made it impossible for the commodity to reach the market since December, 2009 when the products came in.
Sources hinted in Port Harcourt last week that all efforts by the company to take delivery of the product have been frustrated by alleged collusion by business rivals.
The five vessels that brought the product have not been able to discharge since late last year when they arrived at Nigeria territorial waters.
The company was alleged not to have the relevant papers to import the cement. But sources close to the company denied saying that Minaj had relevant papers and approval to bring in the cement.
Initially, the vessel and its contents were detained at Rivers Ports, but later the cement were discharged and stored at PTOL terminals warehouse inside the port, while the vessels have since been released and allowed to sail.
Shipping Position Weekly was told the battle for the control of the market share of imported bulk cement business in Nigeria is taking a new dimension daily as the major players make desperate and sometimes unethical attempts to out do each other.
In Rivers State and other South-South and South East states, the major players are Eagle cement, Ibeto, Bua cement, Dangote cement. Others such as Regent cement have made attempts to come into the market, but so far, they have been largely unsuccessful.
They attributed the failure of Minaj cement to penetrate the market to the fact that the company is being seen as a threat to the ‘big boys’ in the business.
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