Concessionaires in the Nigerian port system have lamented that the current traffic gridlock along the major access to the ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island has increased cargo dwell time at the ports from three days to 10 days.
The operators have equally absolved themselves of any blame in the process, especially as it concerns provision of holding bays for empty containers, saying that the Federal Government failed to put all these in place before concessioning the ports.
Concessionaires in the Nigerian port system have lamented that the current traffic gridlock along the major access to the ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island has increased cargo dwell time at the ports from three days to 10 days.
The operators have equally absolved themselves of any blame in the process, especially as it concerns provision of holding bays for empty containers, saying that the Federal Government failed to put all these in place before concessioning the ports.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr Hassan Bello has assured that it is working with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Federal Road Management Authority (FERMA) to bring sanity to the traffic situation in Apapa.
Chairman of the Seaport and Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) Princess Vicky Hashtrop in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday said that vessels are currently queuing up at the ports to discharge cargoes because of lack of space.
"The traffic has paralyzed all commercial activities in Apapa, it is now a nightmare accessing Apapa, the resultants effect is that ships can no longer discharged because there are no trucks, trucks can no longer get inside the terminal"
"The dwell time of ships has increased from three days to a minimum of ten days now and this is rather unfortunate, when the trucks cannot access the ports, how do you discharge ships, the ships are just lying there not being discharged"
Hashtrop said that the financial implication of this will be huge on Nigerian economy because it is going to cost huge money now to charter vessels and that the cost of insurance will also be increased.
Hashtrop blamed the current situation on the concentration of tank farms at the port even as she called on the Federal Government to regulate the time for the receiving of empty containers as well as the movement of petroleum tankers.
Also speaking with Shipping Position Daily, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barr. Hassan Bello assured that the Council is working with NPA and FERMA to bring solution to the problem.
Bello said that, "in the short term, we are working with FERMA and the NPA, in addition, officials of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council just came back from the port of Akaba in Jordan where they have an effective truck manning system which we want to apply in solving this problems once and for all" he disclosed.
Bello said that everybody is worried about the traffic situation in Apapa, and that this does not exclude the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
He said that the access to the port is important, but the ones in Nigeria lead to many places and not only to the port. He also alleged that the city has encouraged under-performance of the port.
In spite of this however, Bello said that the port reforms is on course and Nigeria has seen the positive side of it even though it has recorded a deficit of infrastructure in the transport industry.
"The long term solution is to build modern ports and link them with the rail networks and the development of the inland waterways in order to avoid same mistakes"
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