Even as the importation of both new and used vehicles into the seaports have dropped in the last one year, there is palpable fear among importers of vehicles, who cargoes at the RORO terminals at Tin Can Island port have had to spend extra days at the terminals due to the lingering scarcity of petroleum product.
Sources told Auto Port Weekly in Lagos last week that some vehicles are trapped in the two terminals at Tin Can Island port, because of the fuel scarcity.
Even as the importation of both new and used vehicles into the seaports have dropped in the last one year, there is palpable fear among importers of vehicles, who cargoes at the RORO terminals at Tin Can Island port have had to spend extra days at the terminals due to the lingering scarcity of petroleum product.
Sources told Auto Port Weekly in Lagos last week that some vehicles are trapped in the two terminals at Tin Can Island port, because of the fuel scarcity.
The sources said that some vehicles that are supposed to exit the terminals after all necessary clearance processes and procedure have been carried out are stuck, because of the fuel scarcity which has affected some of the vehicles from exiting the ports.
The RORO terminals, namely: Five Star Logistics and Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited(PTML) have been experiencing slow operations due to the lingering fuel crisis.
Meanwhile investigations have also revealed that there has been a drop in vehicle transfer from the PTML terminal at Tin Can port to the Mile 2 axis due to scarcity.
Insider sources at the Customs facility at Mile 2, told our correspondent that transfer of vehicles from the port to the off-dock facility has dropped in the last five days as a result of non-availability of petrol.
However a clearing agent; Samson Okafor at Tin Can Island Port, told our correspondent that people licensed to sell petroleum product to importers or agents have not been able to get the product.
He also said that "the people that are supposed to sell fuel to people who want to clear their cars from the terminals have been asked to leave and it’s a problem to the agents because we normally rely on them to get the product even though the price might be a bit higher".
Okafor further revealed that the dealers in the products have been asked to leave the terminals by port official who say that their services are illegal.
The agent further stressed that the situation is gradually affecting vehicles clearance from the port because according to him, some imported vehicles have no fuel on their arrival at Nigeria and there is no way such vehicles can move out of the ports without fuel.
He predicted that should the scarcity persist, the port would experience congestion of all forms, saying that the situation is getting worst by the day.
However, vehicle dealers along the Apapa Oshodi Expressway have decried on the hardship the scarcity has caused them.
Speaking on the scarcity and how it has affected vehicle sales at the various parks within the stretch, Chief Alphonsus Obi said that " to even get the petrol for us to test the cars at the park is a problem.
Obi disclosed that the development also created doubts in the minds of buyers about the state of the vehicles.
He lamented that the scarcity of petrol is an immediate problem affecting vehicles sale at the park and that there is need by the government to help ameliorate the suffering of the people.
Discussion about this post