Connect Maritime, NPA flag off sea-based container shuttle to Apapa

As part of the plans to boost export trade and reduce the rate of congestion on Apapa roads, Connect Maritime Services Limited in conjunction with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has flagged-off the movement of export cargo from Ikorodu area to Apapa port, using waterways.
The flag-off ceremony, which took place in Lagos on Wednesday, was targeted at fast tracking the movement of export cargo including solid minerals and agric produce originating from exporters within and around Ikorodu environs through Ikorodu Lighter Terminal to APM Terminals in Apapa.
Industry analysts, who commended the initiative, were optimistic that it could help to reduce the challenges shippers face in bringing and taking their consignments out of Apapa, due to incessant traffic gridlock.
“Cargos evacuation through the waterways is a very significant development that seeks to enhance and strengthen intermodal transportation system. It means a lot to the nation’s economy, because the current concerns for port users revolves around the huge revenue lost to congestion on the roads leading to the ports,” Hadiza Bala-Usman, managing director of the NPA, said at the flag-off ceremony.
It is estimated that about 400 containers of export cargoes are brought to Apapa and Tin-Can Island seaports from different parts of the country on a daily basis, according to Tony Anakebe, managing director of Gold-Link Investment Limited, a Lagos based clearing and forwarding company.
According to Bala-Usman, the event marks the beginning of full utilisation of Ikorodu Lighter Terminal, which has been in a state of disrepair due to underutilisation and lack of maintenance.
To support the initiative, Usman disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N3 billion contracts for full rehabilitation of Ikorodu Lighter Terminal.
“The container movement that we are witnessing today is the export of solid minerals. We have manganese ore being exported using intermodal transportation from Ikorodu Lighter Terminal. This is because we believed that export of agric produce and solid minerals require priority consideration, and intermodal transportation is one of the initiatives brought on to achieve that,” she said.
Usman pointed out that shippers had raised concern around double handling, which may attract additional cost for using waterways for evacuation of cargo and promised that the NPA is looking into its tariff regime to see how it can provide concession and waivers for the users of the service.
“The fact that all our cargoes go on the road is what keeps our roads in the state it is today. We want to strengthen the utilisation of inland waters and rail for cargo evacuation. Having a port that only evacuates cargo by road is inefficient, and will continuously create congestion,” she added.
She however said that the NPA wants certain percentage of Nigerian cargoes off the road, adding that about 30 percent of cargoes that come into Nigeria must be moved through the inland waterways and rail.
Also speaking, Edeme Kelikume, managing director of Connect Maritime Services, promoters of the project, said that the company is partnering stakeholders including the NPA, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), clearing agents, terminal operators, importers and exporters in driving the project.
Kelikume, who observed that Nigeria is currently looking for ways to earn foreign exchange, pointed to the need to promote export to generate foreign exchange for the nation’s economy.
“The congestion on the roads to Apapa port is an embarrassment to importers and exporters. So, we expect that by this initiative, more cargoes will be taken off the road, and that will result to reduction in number of trucks on the road.
This flag off will consolidate the use of waterways as an alternative route to cargo evacuation even after the roads to the ports have been fixed. The frequency depends on the level of adaption by clients and we expect that more publicity will help to grow demand,” he added.
According to Kelikume, about 32 containers were moved from Ikorodu to Apapa on Wednesday and the plan is to move as many as possible. “We have the capacity to move up to 80 or 90 containers using different barges of different capacity. So, as the traffic builds up, we will be moving more containers from this particular terminal.
“Apart from the solid minerals that we are moving today, we are expecting more agricultural produce including soya beans, cocoa and other commodities to be moved to the port through Ikorodu Lighter Terminal. Beyond that, we are also expecting a lot of import flow into this port with the support of the Customs and other agencies,” Kelikume further said.