- We have enough equipment to work, says firm
By Uzor Odigbo
Ports and Cargo Handling Services operators of terminal C and D at the Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIP) have been accused of being responsible for the congestion within the corridor for the past two weeks.
The congestion has led to extremely slow vehicular movements in the corridor so much that it now takes vehicles two days or more to access the port from the gate
The combined traffic managers in the area are yet to find means of ridding the area of the menacing gridlock.
Further investigations revealed that backlog of consignments discharged from vessels during the lockdown arising from outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic could be responsible for the congestion at the port.
We learnt that the terminal is currently overstretched due to high volume of consignments that arrived the terminal during lockdown period which in turn has created bottenecks.
As a result, port users are now calling on relevant authorities to rise to the situation.
Speaking to newsmen on the development, the new Port Manager at Tin Can port, Alhaji Bello Abubakar, who confirmed the congestion, attributed it to the ongoing construction along the common users’ road along the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway but reiterated management’s commitment to address the perennial gridlock.
According to him, the construction company, Hi-Tech Nigeria Limited has failed to carry along management of the NPA as part of efforts to control traffic along the access road.
Abubakar, who admitted that the situation was not conducive for trade facilitation, however commended the SIFAX-owned terminal operator for the accommodation of cargoes during the lockdown era, saying the situation would have been worse than expected.
He assured that the management team of NPA at TCIPC would continue to engage the construction company to expedite action in furtherance to clearing the backlog of cargoes trapped at the terminal and easing the flow of traffic along the access road.
Secretary, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), TCIP Chapter, Comrade Godfrey Nwosu, also said that several letters have been written to the terminal operator yet no solution has been proffered to decongest the facility.
Nwosu alleged that “The system currently obtained at the terminal is that the freight agents will do the job of a terminal clerk .”
He said the agents would take their time to check for container number with the bill of lading at the quay apron saying that the issue started before the pandemic.
Nwosu described the situation as a bitter experience for agents adding that the backlog of about three vessels unattended to, led to the congestion at the port.
He alleged that the terminal lacked the needed equipment to discharge cargoes from the facilities, adding that importers are lamenting on the current situation at Tin Can Island Port.
The NAGAFF Scribe alleged that it was the primary responsibility of the NPA to control traffic along the port access road, alleging that the traffic unit had conspired to frustrate shippers and the freight agents.
Similarly, the President, Advocacy for Maritime Development, Oluwasegun Alabi stressed that the problem at Ports and Cargo Handling Limited can best be described as “biting more than you can chew”.
Alabi said the facility had been overstretched, adding that the space is limited for both loading of import and export .
He alleged that stacking of containers at the facility has been filled to capacity, pointing out that the limited space available at the terminal led to the congestion.
He accused management of the terminal of receiving high volume of cargoes with limited capacity that can absorb such consignments.
Alabi, a chieftain of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, urged the relevant authorities to engage management of the concessionaire in finding lasting solution to the current gridlock at the Port.
Responding, the Manager, Public Affairs of SIFAX, Muyiwa Akande, said if anyone was going to accuse Ports and Cargo of anything, it couldn’t be on handling equipment because according to him, the terminal just invested about $20 million on handling equipment in December, 2019.
“After that one, we have taken delivery of terminal tractors. So, we have enough equipment to work,” he submitted.
