Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited penultimate week held a media interactive session, where the Managing Director, Mr. John Jerkins revealed some of its achievements, challenges and other terminal related issues. Our correspondent; Roland Ekama was there for Shipping Position Daily.
Since Ports and Cargo took over in 2006 what has been its achievements?
Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited penultimate week held a media interactive session, where the Managing Director, Mr. John Jerkins revealed some of its achievements, challenges and other terminal related issues. Our correspondent; Roland Ekama was there for Shipping Position Daily.
Since Ports and Cargo took over in 2006 what has been its achievements?
Since we took over the terminal on 11th May 2006, we have taken giant steps to improve on our operations by investing heavily on infrastructure, plants and equipment. As a result, the turnaround time of vessels has by far reduced from what was obtainable before the concession of the terminal. In the same vein, berth occupancy, cargo deliveries and security of cargoes have tremendously improved.
Can you stress more on some of the equipment acquired so far?
We have acquired cargo handling equipment such as Liebherr Habour cranes, Kone Rubber Tyred Gantries, Kalmar reach stackers, Kalmar terminal tractors new terminal trailers, and new forklifts etc for the enhancement of our operations. We have one shuttle bus, 35 trucks, five forklifts , 34 Maffi brands terminal tractor , six shores cranes,19 full handlers,10 RTG and we are planning to import four more to make it 14.
How far has Ports and Cargo been able to improve in the area of security at its terminal?
We have greatly improved the security situation in the port. As a result, loss or vandalism of cargo through the activities of "wharf rats" has been reduced to the barest minimum. Also a new terminal operating system has been purchased and is fully operational which tracks all container and movements in the terminal, this has now made loss of containers a thing of the past. Again as a result of the computerisation of our operations and the provision of a tracking system, service delivery has been greatly enhanced. Gate houses have also been constructed to enhance the security of the terminal.
Still talking about security, is Ports and Cargo ISPS code compliant?
We are always ISPS code compliant, we have constructed an ISPS compliant see through wire mess fencing for the terminal. We have installed digital security gadget (CCTV) in the terminal to enhance its security and we are now going to upgrade the system. We have provided radio communicating gadgets to enhance communication and efficient service delivery. We are fully ISPS compliant, as the Managing Director of the terminal, I always get report from the chief security officer on a daily basis and we are fully ISPS compliant and I can assure you about that.
Safety is paramount in port operations, how has it been in your terminal?
Health and safety policies are given serious attention. Apart from the provision of health care for staff and their families, a well equipped clinic manned by medical doctors and other qualified personnel is provided in the terminal. This is complemented by a fully operational ambulance with full time drivers attached. We have provided fire-fighting equipment and muster points at strategic locations in the terminal. In addition, regular training of staff on fire prevention and curtailment strategies are well done. For illumination of the terminal and to ensure that night shifts are not disrupted, we have deployed high mast lighting system to the terminal. And to ensure 24 hours supply of light, many high powered generators have been provided.
Apart from the fact that your organisation has invested in this terminal, what are the challenges faced so far?
One of the major challenges we are facing is that of non-connection of our terminal to public electricity. As a result of this, we have been relying on generators in the last six years to power the terminal. We have therefore invested so much in the purchase of generators along with the associated costs of diesel and maintenance. Even though the NPA has started taking steps to correct this abnormality thus we humbly urge them to expedite action on connection of our terminal to public electricity supply. Again, repairs of the quay apron and the quay wall are very important to our operations. The contractors that the NPA awarded the contract to has not in our opinion, given the assignment any serious attention. The contract is facing undue delay and the job being done is far from being satisfactory. We also have a serious challenge to our operations which is the obstruction of our own portion of the common user access road by the Nigeria Customs Service. Containers, trucks, vehicles and other cargoes that are seized by the customs from other terminals are always kept on the access road leading into the terminal. As a result of this, our portion of the common access road is always reduced to a single lane. As a result of this bottleneck, entrance to our terminal becomes a nightmare and this also creates an impression that our terminal is heavily congested. A permanent solution needs to be found to this situation as it reduces efficiency and gives a bad impression of our company. Another challenge I must say that hinders our operations is the merging of traffic leaving from the Five Star Logistics Terminal (Terminal D) and our terminal just before the main NPA entry and exit gate. This is always causing heavy traffic congestion on the road jointly used by the two terminal operators at the Tin Can port. Still talking about challenges the company's old in-gate has been demolished and a new modern in-gate has been constructed, thus the new in-gate can process six trucks simultaneously; however opposite the new in-gate is a large amount of scrap equipment that has remained there since pre concession time which is an embarrassment and an eyesore which detracts from the improvements that have been made. We therefore seek the assistance of the authority for its urgent removal. Finally, the occupation of a portion of our terminal by NPA harbour crane since we took over in 2006 is a major encumbrance to our new RTG operation. After many requests to NPA the crane has now been removed to another area of the terminal, however it is still causing an obstruction to the efficient operations of our terminal. Urgent intervention for the removal of the crane is therefore needed and we shall be extremely grateful if you can help us resolve this challenge by prevailing on NPA and customs to help us resolve all the challenges mentioned above.
Still on the road, I must say that outside the road need serious upgrading, free flow of traffic is what we want. I recall two years ago when enforcement team of the government cleared the roads in a couple of weeks and it was a pleasure for people to do business in the port, back and forth and so on. But unfortunately thebroken down trucks everywhere within the port on a daily basis from Apapa to Tin Can is a huge challenge to every port users, thus something need to be done to the roads within the ports. Honestly something needs to be done about the road. The road network is another big challenge that the terminal is facing, the roads need upgrading.
Who provides logistics for the movement of containers to the scanning site?
We do, I mean the thing is that I will be truthful with you, see when we arrived at providing logistics , I was against it, what normally happen in this terminal is that once you put a container on a customer ‘s truck, it goes through the scanner, we are finished with it. Now unfortunately what happen is that we have to provide trucks, go to the scanner put them in shed, send it back to the yard and we have to lift it up again, so to us is double handing and to me I don't think is the best way forward. For me personally as a terminal operator, it is better to put the container on the truck and move to the scanner, but unfortunately as a requirement of customers that we should provide logistics, so we have to provide the trucks to do that.
What is cost of diesel to power the terminal annually?
My director of finance should have being in a better position to answer that question, but he is not here but still on power, we power the terminal 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Obviously, the cost of the generator is huge also the cost of diesel is huge and again the generators can not run for ever because they will need replacement so what we need now is to be connected to PHCN so that at least half of the day or more can be powered by PHCN. If we have anticipated this question I think we could have done something before now and as we speak we have big power house where there are about six to seven generators. I would not like to give you a figure that is incorrect.
Can you react to the effectiveness or otherwise of destination inspection at the terminal?
We do scanning of containers , plus 100 percent examination ,some of the containers are scanned if the customs are happy with the images of what is inside the container, then those ones are not for 100% physical examination, thus we have scanning and we have 100% physical. Physical examination is the best way to examine containers. Though it is up to the customs to decide; so what happens is that containers will go to COTECNA through the scanning machine, they look at the images and if they are happy with what is declared in the container then it will not be examined,if they are unhappy with the images they see or it is suspected or suspicious, it has to go through physical examination. Though it has nothing to do with us; but physical examination is the best way to determine what is inside a container because firearms can be hidden in there or drugs and it is not a case of clearing the goods but that of the security of the country. I mean when you bring in a container,it comes from anywhere in the world, so the agent declares what is in the container but one have to know what actually is in the container thus everything boils down to the security of the country and that is what we all have to be concerned with not just the clearance of the goods. It is not just what goes out but what comes in , I mean we are talking about ISPS code, because things are getting more dangerous daily and in the shipping industry we have to be concerned about people coming in and out of the terminal .But like said it has nothing to do with us.
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