Apapa gridlock: Survey says ports need more automation

Asurvey carried out by NAFITH, an international company contracted by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to study and find solutions to the perennial traffic congestion on the roads leading to the nation’s major economic gateways, Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports, has  said that Nigeria needs to introduce electronically powered operations at seaport to ease gridlock on the roads.

Findings from the survey, which was presented yesterday in Lagos by Sameer Mubarak, chairman of NAFITH at the ongoing Nigeria Maritime Expo (NIMAREX), show that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) needs to introduce single window model of cargo clearance, which is presently the best practices all over the world.

“Nigerian port needs paperless Customs; e-payment of Customs duty; e-container loading list; electronic risk-based inspection; connecting other government agencies under one platform and e-permit exchange among operators,” said Mubarak.

According to him, the survey also reveals that automating cargo clearance processes will help in putting proper logistics control in place and this will ensure that only trucks that have business at the port would be allowed to be within the environment.

To achieve this, Mubarak said, there is need to institute a regulatory authority whose duty it is to monitor the activities of truck operators. “There is also need to develop electronically powered identifications and stickers for truckers.

“ These items, which have been tested in Jordan and other ports in Africa, he said, transmit radio signals within a distance of eight meters and would help in eliminating truckers who come to port road to negotiate business.”      

Mubarak, who noted that the gridlock has made the end cost of a container in Nigerian ports to be high, compared to ports in other African countries, also stated that this cost would be reduced if all operators at the ports make their operations electronically powered.

Listing the benefits of automation especially as regards the cost of doing business at  the ports, he said that it would help reduce the cost of freight, including congestion of cargoes at the port terminals.

Earlier in his goodwill massage, Hassan Bello, executive secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) noted that the federal government needs to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the nation’s port industry.

Bello, who stated that Nigeria’s maritime industry has the potential of competing with the oil and gas industry, which is the highest revenue earner for the government, disclosed that the poor state of the port access roads, which results to incessant gridlock and man-hour loss, is making cargo evacuation difficult for port users.

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE