Terminal operator bemoans inconsistent policies at ports

… as Council set to audit operators

Rigo Nazzari, general manager, Five Star Logistics Limited, yesterday, said inconsistent government policies at ports had been having adverse effects on operations of the terminal, as the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) unveiled its plan to audit the operations of private terminal operators to attain operational efficiency.

Nazzari said this when Hassan Bello, executive secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), paid a courtesy visit to the terminal at the Roll On/ Roll Off (RORO) Port in Lagos.

“The auto policy is affecting our terminal. The auto policy has hindered our op- erations. We are recording low activities in our terminal as a result of the unstable policy.

We urge you to assist in conveying our message to the government,’’ Nazzari said.

He said the management of the terminal would continue to partner Nigeria as the largest business economic avenue in West Africa, saying “we are on the right path to prosperity but our concern is efficient access roads to the ports.’’

In his response, Hassan Bello said there was need for policy consistency so that investments in the country would flourish, saying government would come with massive plan by bringing more infrastructure to the terminal.

“NSC has taken steps to meet with the Customs service, especially in the area of intercepting containers which had already been cleared from the port,’’ Bello said.

He said there were plans to introduce advanced cargo information system at the ports for monitoring cargo movements through computer networking, saying the council was ready to collaborate with shippers from Niger Republic to ensure that they import their vehicles through Nigerian ports.

However, Bello said during a courtesy visit to Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited, the port operations arm of the Sifax Group, operating in terminal `C’ of the Tin-Can Island port, Lagos, among the few terminal operators granted the concession to run ports in Nigeria, that the idea of auditing the terminal operators was meant to ascertain their equipment and find out the challenges facing them.

“There is need to cooper- ate with the NSC having been gazetted as the commercial regulator. It is important to transform the port and make it the hub of the West Africa sub-region,’’ he said.

The NSC chief said there was the need for modern shipping practice, saying the council was ready to listen to complaints from shippers and convey their requests to the Federal Government, noting that the council preferred continuous dialogue by looking at those factors affecting cargo dwell-time at the port.

“Government has the responsibility to create a conducive atmosphere for terminal operators to op- erate to attain an equilibrium in port operation, ‘’ the executive secretary said, but, however, advised the terminal operators to extend their operations to the hinterlands, adding that the Kaduna Inland Container Depot had been gazetted.

In his response John Jenkins, managing director, Port and Cargo Handling Services, commended the council for its good policies, and said the council’s policy had given terminal operators the hope to remain in operations in Nigeria in spite of the inability to have constant power supply.