How APM Terminals cuts pollution to promote sustainable port environment

Determined to promote environmental sustainability, APM Terminals Apapa, Nigeria’s leading container terminal, said the terminal uses cargo handling equipment that is fuel efficient and releases less CO2.

Steen Knudsen, terminal manager of APM Terminals Apapa, told journalists recently that the terminal considers equipment that is either electrified or able to use fuel types with lesser CO2 emissions before acquiring new equipment.

“When we buy equipment, we always look at the fuel efficiency of the equipment, and whether alternative options are available. It is critical that there is a strong collaboration between private and public players, to ensure sufficient clear electricity production and distribution is in focus, to make an impact on industrial emissions.

“At A.P. Moller-Maersk, our global ambition is to move towards a net zero CO2 emission from all our operations worldwide, and in APM Terminals Apapa, we are sharing this ambition as well,” he said.

Knudsen said the company has continued to promote awareness of the environmental impact of port operations and has taken practical steps to reduce such impact by minimising pollution and promoting the reduction, reuse, and recycling of plastic products.

“The global supply chains have an impact on the environment and lots of fuel is being consumed to deliver goods to countries around the world, and we must play an active role in reducing this. We promote recycling of used tyres and plastics into various products such as pavers, which are used to pave the walkways in and outside the terminal,” he explained.

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He said the terminal educates employees on how to manage environmentally harmful materials to create a greener environment for generations to come.

He commended the Federal Government for the construction of a new standard gauge rail line at the port, adding that the rail line aligns with APM Terminals Apapa’s agenda of making its entire supply chain more eco-friendly and is important in providing cost-efficient means of moving cargo to the hinterland.

“While a narrow-gauge railway line connecting to Kano is in operation at the terminal, the construction of the new standard gauge line by the Federal Government will further enhance the delivery of cargo through the rail. We are hopeful that more cargo will move on the rail for a more energy-efficient mode of transport, and to ease the road congestion around Apapa,” Knudsen said.

Located within the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, APM Terminals Apapa is the largest container terminal in Nigeria. With an investment of over $438 million in equipment, facilities, and other elements of its operations over the past 17 years, the terminal has continued to introduce innovations to help both shipping lines and landside customers achieve improved supply chain efficiency.