Even as it recently announced that it has got a space within the Trade Fair Complex along Badagry Expressway for the construction of truck park, the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has also said that it is also fine-tuning agreements with Lillypond container terminal for establishment of a transit park within the terminal.
Even as it recently announced that it has got a space within the Trade Fair Complex along Badagry Expressway for the construction of truck park, the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has also said that it is also fine-tuning agreements with Lillypond container terminal for establishment of a transit park within the terminal.
Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi told Shipping Position Dailyexclusively last week that in order to ensure smooth operation of the proposed truck park, the association will be using a portion of the Lillypond terminal to serve as a holding bay where trucks coming from Trade Fair Complex can stay before entering into the port.
He explained that the agreement with the management of the terminal is already at an advanced stage.
"We have partnered with Lillypond management, so that we will be using part of Lillypond as a holding bay or as a transit park", he disclosed, even as he added that, “with the construction work going on along the Lagos-Badagry expressway, it will not be fast enough for trucks to leave trade fair and come to either Tin Can or Apapa".
"So we are making an arrangement that if a truck leaves there (Trade Fair complex) they will come to Lillypond for (say) two hours as a transit park, we will only be using the call-up system to send trucks into any of the terminals that require their services", he explained.
Ogungbemi assured that in the next two weeks, the proposed truck park at the Trade Fair Complex will become operational as final repairs of the access road to the complex is ongoing.
He said that the truck park is meant for maritime trucks alone and that petroleum tankers are not allowed because of the inflammable nature of their contents.
"For safety purposes, it is not proper for tankers carrying inflammable products to be using the same park with the other trucks".
According to him, the main objective of the project is to prove that truck drivers are not the major cause of the traffic on Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
"In the next two weeks we are going to commence using the place, we are only putting some palliative measures in place, as soon as we complete the improvement of the road, we will bring in the first batch of trucks, we will also make arrangement for those parking along the road at Apapa and Tin Can to go there" he said.
Ogungbemi called on the Federal and State Governments to further assist in the good course of the truck owners.
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