Port concessionaires acquire 1,204 cargo handling equipment in 8 years

Private terminal operators in charge of cargo handling at the port have acquired about 1,204 different modern cargo handling equipment at the nation’s seaports in the past eight years of port concession, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said.

Close industry watchers believe that this huge capital investment in cargo handling equipment at the port has resulted to improved cargo throughput and vessel traffic.

‬Joshua Asanga, general manager, Compliance and Monitoring Unit of NPA, who disclosed this at a conference tagged ‘Monitoring and Compliance – The Experience of Compliance with Concessioning Agreement Eight Years After’ organised by NPA in Lagos, also said the equipment acquisition cut across the various terminals at the six major seaports in the country.

The ports include Lagos Port Complex and Tin-Can Island Port, both in Lagos; Delta Port, Warri; Calabar Port, Calabar; Rivers Port and Onne Port, both in Rivers State.

The breakdown of the equipment, according to Asanga, includes 578 acquired by operators at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, made up of Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited 82; ENL Consortium 138; GDNL 93; LCDNL 20 and APM Terminals 245. At Tin-Can Island Port 383 cargo handling equipment made up of Joseph Dam 124; TICT 61; Port and Cargo Handling Services 161, and Five Star Logistics 37.

Intels and Julius Berger, both operators at Delta Port acquired 50 and 53 equipment, respectively, making a total of 103; while Calabar Port operators collectively acquired a total of 60 cargo handling equipment. They include Ecomarine Terminal 31; Intels 15, and Shore Line 14.

At Rivers Port, PTOL acquired 40 ccargo handling equipment while Bua acquired eight, bringing the total to 48, while the operator at Onne Port, Intels acquired 32 equipment made up of 16 each at the Federal Ocean Terminal and Federal Lighter Terminal.

The concessionaires have tremendously boosted efficiency in their areas of operation as seen in the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) recorded by NPA, Asanga said.

As against an average vessel waiting time of about 30 days before port concession, terminals such as APM Terminals, Ecomarine, PTML and Intels Calabar have eliminated vessel-waiting time to zero, while ABTL has 2.8 days and ENL 1.4 days as against an average general cargo vessel waiting time of 45 days prior to concession, Asanga said.

In her goodwill message, Vicky Haastrup, chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), said government and private operators had committed a lot into achieving the milestone recorded in the past eight years of port concession.

“In the eight years of port concession, a lot of positive developments have taken place in all our ports,” listing them as follow: “Reconstruction of quay aprons and stacking areas; reconstruction of container terminals; rehabilitation of terminal access roads; provision of lightening facilities including generating sets; rehabilitation of the sheds/warehouses; reconstruction of drainages; construction of perimeter fencing and gate houses, and improved workshop facilities of modern standards.”

Haastrup, who was represented by Lizzy Ovbude, managing director of PTOL Terminal, said terminal operators had invested heavily in the acquisition of modern state-of-the-art equipment including forklifts and container handlers such as gantry cranes, reach stackers, handlers and others.

Terminal operators’ investment, according to her, resulted in continuous ship discharge/loading operations within the working time without erratic stoppage of operations; strict monitoring of allocated labour to achieve projected productivity; achievement of high level of discipline and control of extortion; eradication of pilferages and reduction of damages to cargoes; improved turnaround time of vessels leading to elimination of under-declaration of cargoes and more revenue generation for the government.

On security, the STOAN chairman, said: “In addressing the security challenges of the ports, the concessionaires apart from constructing standardised perimeter fencing, made the following provisions: A well trained security outfit, that is compliant with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) certification in compliance to International Ships and Ports Facility and Security Code (ISPS); installation of security gadgets such as CCTV, and improved communication system and construction of security posts at designated areas in the terminal.

“Waterfront security to an extent has improved in some ports. In order to forestall fraud and other corrupt vices associated with bureaucratic processes, concessionaires have expended huge capital in the establishment of IT compliant processes, which also are connected to the Nigeria Customs Service system, thereby reducing terminal service-time and unnecessary procedures.”

Relevant statutory agencies such as Customs, NPA, NIMASA, and others have contributed to the present port development and trade facilitation by channel expansion and draught increase, which have enhanced larger vessels reception, creation of ships’ lane according to trade for effective traffic control and developing the concept of Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) on Greenfield Port development that has increased capacity expansion and service choice, Haastrup said.

“We assure you that terminal operators will continue to add value to the port system in Nigeria to enable it compete favourably with other ports of the world. We have created jobs and promoted industrial harmony with the hope of making Nigerian ports the hub of Africa. The figures of revenue accruing to the Customs, NIMASA, and NPA are testimonies to this,” she said further.

In the face of dwindling revenue, she suggested that the port was a good place to start the repositioning of Nigeria’s economy, calling for the re-energising of port concession by passing the Port and Harbours Bill currently before the National Assembly.

Idris Umar, minister of transport, and Habib Abdullahi, managing director of NPA, also highlighted the benefits of port concession to the Nigerian economy while the representatives of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) also lauded terminal operators and the NPA for complying with the aims of port concession.

The Federal Government Port Concession programme began in 2005/2006 with agreements entered into by the BPE, NPA and terminal operators as the Lessee.

ANAGOR UZOAMAKA