APM Terminals Apapa wins Nigerian safety award

In recognition of its achievements in the area of terminal safety culture and operating practices in Nigerian port, APM Terminals Apapa, operator of the busiest terminal in West Africa, has been named the “Most Environmentally Conscious Port Operator at the Lagos Port Complex” by the Nigerian Port Authority’s Environment Department of the Health, Safety and Environment Division.

Andrew Dawes, managing director of APM Terminals Apapa, dedicated the award to the terminal’s employees and partners, saying “this achievement is made possible through the safety culture of personal responsibility which we practice and embrace, and through the personal commitment of our staff and business partners working together for a safe workplace environment.”

On a company-wide basis, APM Terminals’ Lost-Time Incident Frequency (LTIF) rate declined from 2.53 in 2013 to 1.81 per million man-hours worked in 2014 across the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network, in facilities managed by APM Terminals. The APM Terminals Apapa LTIF rate for 2014 was 0.47 per million man-hours worked.

According to a statement signed by Austine Fischer, APMT Nigeria communications and sustainability manager, the terminal is the largest container facility by capacity in Nigeria. With a container throughput of 700,000 TEUs in 2014, the terminal is the busiest container terminal in the West African region, handling 50 percent of Nigeria’s inbound containers.

The terminal, which represents about $350 million investment and expansion programme since 2006, has contributed to the doubling of container volumes in Nigerian port with waiting time for vessel berthing eliminated.

The statement further disclosed that apart from regular lifting of container using trucks, that there was also a regular rail service that ran three times per week to the inland cities of Kaduna, 730 km (455 miles) from Lagos, and Kano, 960km (600 miles) distant, which started in August 2013.