NPA resolves empty container movement crisis between APM Terminals and shipping lines
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has mediated the crisis over empty containers management between shipping lines and APM Terminals Apapa.
Major shipping lines including Maersk Line, Hapag Lloyd, Pacific International Lines, CMA CGM, COSCO blamed APM Terminals Apapa for delaying empty containers getting into its terminal at Apapa Port for onward loading on ships, the managers of APM Terminals absolved theirs port of any complicity.
APM Terminals insisted that the terminal reached its full capacity due to increased import and export volume, arguing that there was a notable delay in the evacuation of both imports and exports by the shipping lines.
The General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, informed that the NPA boss met the two parties recently following the public outcry over the delay in evacuation of empty containers leading to yard congestion at the APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos.
Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara added that the meeting was in line with the commitment of its Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho to ensure smooth port operations, free from every encumbrance, to discuss the challenges and chart a way forward.
Onyemekara who disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos today, informed that the meeting was at the instance of the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Adebowale Lawal, and was attended by APM Terminals management and these major shipping lines.
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According to Onyemekara, all the shipping lines present during the meeting submitted that they had holding bays, which according to them, was a prerequisite for license renewal by the NPA.
“They also posited that the NPA Headquarters’ Operations Team usually inspects those holding bays to ascertain their capacity before license renewal.
“While requesting all the shipping lines to submit a list detailing their holding bays, including locations and capacity, the Port Management emphasized the need to be involved in the examination of those holding bays so as to keep abreast of the potential operational challenges,” he added.
He said the shipping lines said the management of APMT usually communicates available free pools to each shipping line in order to guide their container movement.
The General Manager stated that the shipping lines also blamed the significant congestion during the period under review on a simultaneous gate closure to all the shipping lines by the management of APMT.
He however said that the APMT management insisted that the terminal reached its full capacity due to increased import and export volume arguing that there was a notable delay in the evacuation of both imports and exports by the shipping lines.
