ENL Consortium, Chinese firm partner to move cargo from Apapa by barges

As part of its plan to find lasting solution to the persistent Apapa gridlock, ENL Consortium, operator of Terminals C and D of Lagos Port Complex, Apapa has entered into partnership with Sinoma Cargo International, a big Chinese logistics firm to evacuate cargo from the port using barges.

The partnership also incorporates Josephdam Port Services and Lianyungang Port of China, which is among the ten largest ports in China and the 30 largest in the world, and it handles annual cargo throughput of 210 million tons and container throughput of five million 20-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) per annum.

Speaking at the China-Nigeria Core Liner Conference held in Lagos on Friday, Vicky Hasstrup, executive vice chairman/CEO of ENL Consortium, said the poor existing transport infrastructure in Nigeria affects the economic performance and competitiveness of the port.

She said the partnership became imperative, given the persistent gridlock on the port access roads in Apapa, which has made cargo evacuation from the port difficult.

Hasstrup said the initiative, which would be implemented in conjunction with Lianyungang Port of China, would facilitate the evacuation of cargo from the terminals through barges and also help promote mutual cooperation and exchange between Liayungang and the Lagos port.

“We have been to Lianyungang Port at the invitation of Sinoma, and there, we signed agreement in July. They also expressed their willingness to come to Nigerian ports to see what ENL and others look like,” Haastrup said.

She further said: “This conference was organised to brainstorm on how to have a better operational logistics, which is Sinoma’s core duty. We know that getting in and out of Apapa to discharge cargo has become difficult due to the present traffic situation. This afforded us the opportunity to brainstorm on what else can be done under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement other than road.

According to her, Sinoma would bring barges that can take several hundreds of tons of cargo at once, and can evacuate cargo at the seaside in large volume. “Deploying intermodal means of transportation at the port is important because continuous reliance on the road is no longer feasible and should be discouraged.

“The roads are undergoing a lot of pressure because they are not built to withstand the kind of pressure, which they are subjected to. This is why we need investment in other modes of transportation,” she said.

Expressing appreciation to the leadership of the firm and officials of the Lianyungang Port for the confidence reposed in ENL and Josephdam; Hasstrup assured that terminal operators in the country would continue to provide efficient port services that conform to global standards.

She added that efforts to develop the port will achieve greater effect, if strategic alliances are grown, not just between private and public entities alone, but between businesses.

Li Zhanzhu, general manager, Sinoma Cargo, said the firm has established good relationship with ENL Consortium and Josephdam Port Services that handle several consignments shipped into Nigeria from China.

“From January 2018 till date, the firm has operated 12 batches of Lianyungang- Lagos logistics line, organised and transported more than 410,000 dead weight of general cargo and 2,000 TEUs of containers of steel and templates, engineering equipment and tools,” he said.

AMAKA ANAGOR