Zenith Bonded Terminal grows cargo volume by 66.7% in 12 months

The volume of cargo throughput handled at the Zenith Bonded Terminal grew by 66.7 percent to 5,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers within a space of 12 months, 2016 to 2017, Innocent Obele, managing director/CEO, has said.

Obele, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos, recently, said that the volume of cargo handled in the terminal grew from 3,000 TEUs in 2016 to 5,000 TEUs in 2017.

Zenith Bonded Terminal is strategically located around Maza-Maza area of Lagos State and has capacity to seat 1,000 TEUs of containers. The company, which became operational three years ago, is a fully indigenous bounded terminal that is owed by Zenith Shipping Company Limited.

According to Obele, it was projected that the terminal will see further growth in volume to about 7,000 TEUs at the end of this year from the 5,000 TEUs that was recorded last year.

Obele however disclosed that the company has put in place necessary equipment for cargo handling business to thrive, especially as the port area has failed to offer timely delivery of cargo to importers’ warehouses.

“We are working at making Zenith a preferred destination for shippers especially with the traffic situation in and around Apapa Port city. We have also acquired the relevant cargo handling equipment to enable us offer efficient and effective services to our clients,” he said.

Polycarp Oguchukwu, terminal manager of Zenith Bonded Terminal, disclosed that the facility has adequate cargo handling equipment to ensure smooth and speedy cargo delivery to its clients.

Oguchukwu listed the equipment to include two forklifts; two Kamal cranes and a fleet of trucks for clients that want their consignment transferred from the port or want to engage the company in moving the containers to the preferred destination.

He said that the facility is compliant to the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS 2), a new Customs e-platform for processing of import/export documents. He added that all the security apparatus required at a conventional port were put on ground at the facility to ensure ease doing business for importers and exporters.

Apart from the conducive operating environment, Oguchukwu stated there was adequate security put in place at the facility both independent security personnel and officials of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

AMAKA ANAGOR