·Deep Seaport Currently Has No Plans For Barge Operations – Operator
Oluyinka Onigbinde
Even though its promoters have assured the Federal Government, investigations by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that the Lekki Deep Seaport can not commence operations in September 2022.
The September date was reconfirmed even during the recent visit by President Muhammadu Buhari.to the sprawling port facility which is located in the Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos state.
Our correspondent who visited the port recently affirmed that beyond the public relations and media hype, by the promoters of the port that the port is 90% completed, the facility is still far from being ready for full operations by September.
Some of the Engineers on site who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity informed that construction of critical areas at the port are still at skeletal stages while noting that the pressure to deliver the port by September is just for political reasons, especially ahead of the 2023 General elections.
One of our correspondents who was part of the recent media tour of the port noted that construction of terminal offices including Customs offices were yet to be completed, while half of the port’s vast land mass is yet to witness any construction.
During a recent visit, one of the engineers on the site had informed our correspondent that only pilot operations and a test run can take place in September. He asserted that the port cannot be fully-operational until 2024.
He said, “pilot operation can only take place due to the pressure being mounted on us, the pilot operation is just like a test-run of what the operations at the deep seaport will look like when we are done with everything”.
He added that engineers are yet to take the draft to 19.5 meters required of a deep seaport; this is even as he informed that installations of some of the equipment were on-going and that the seaport is yet to acquire the Ship-To-Shore (STS) crane, which will be used when operation commences.
Apart from the above constraints, another major challenge is the road leading to the port. Our correspondent gathered that it will take not less than 12 months to fully-construct the road leading to the deep seaport. Construction of the access road commenced only about a month ago.
You will recall that the President Muhammadu Buhari, during his visit to the Deep Sea Port had directed the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, to submit a memorandum to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to link the Deep Sea Port with the railway network.
This is a clear evidence that about five months before the advertised September commencement date of operations at the Lekki port, the N596 billion facility is still without a plan for railway and road link to facilitate the movement of cargoes.
Meanwhile, a security expert has also discredited plans to commence operations at the Deep Sea Port by September, noting that the port is yet to put proper security structures in place.
In a chat with our correspondent, maritime anti-piracy security specialist and Secretary-General of the Merchant Seafarers Association of Nigeria, Captain Alfred Oniye, noted that if operations commence at the port by September without putting security structures in place, the port will be faced with a lot of security problems and challenges.
According to him, “if the seaport is opened this year without putting proper security structures in place, we will face a lot of security problems and challenges. I have been there and I cannot see any security structure put in that place.
“That place is completely back water. There are so many bushes in that place which will encourage sea pirates. Don’t forget that sea pirates don’t stay at the sea; they only operate at sea and go back to the shore and rest.
“That place might be a harbor for sea pirates. Is it the same Nigerian Navy you are going to push into that place to do the same thing and abandon the territorial waters?
“That is why these boys will finish operating at sea and will come in freely at shore to come and rest”.
Read Also: Senior Customs Officers, Others Now Ride Okada To Offices As Apapa – Gridlock Worsens
Also speaking to our correspondent, a member of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN), Mr Daniel Eze, confirmed to our correspondent that the Lekki Deep Seaport has no plans in place for barge operations. He said despite calling the attention of the promoters and the NPA to this to avoid the same mistake at Tin Can and Apapa ports, the group is yet to get a feedback from the promoters.
“We have already made it known to them, so that they will not repeat the same mistake on Apapa port and Tin can port because in the construction of the Apapa port and Tincan port, there is no provision made for barge operations, probably they did not envisage that barge operations will be part and parcel of transportation in inland waterways
“The truth is that we have told NPA and the promoters of the Lekki Deep Seaport that there is need for them to consider barge operations, you know most times you can make proposal and recommendation; well it depends on the management and the government, as we speak we have not got feedback from them, we are looking forward that they will get back to us” he said.
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