WACT commissions firefighting, tow trucks to enhance safe operations

L-R: Innocent Ogbuji, general manager of Government and Public Relations at West Africa Container Terminal (WACT); Adeboye Ogunpolu, manager of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE); Chinelo Obienyem, senior People Business Partner at WACT; Uzoma Ngozi Ben-Ude, head of People Function at APM Terminals Nigeria, and Ike Anselem, chairman of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Onne at the launch of WACT’s new firefighting truck, recovery tow truck and water browser truck at Onne Port, Rivers State, recently

The West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) has commissioned a firefighting truck, recovery tow truck, and a water browser truck to boost operations and ensure safety.

The launch was part of activities marking the 2024 Annual Global Safety Day at Onne Port in Rivers State recently.

Themed, ‘Be Curious Because We Care,’ it reflects WACT’s utmost and underlying priority: keeping all workers, contractors, and other stakeholders at the terminal safe.

The company said safety is not a one-time but annual focus – “it is our license to operate and the commitment we make every day to our colleagues that, no matter what their work is, or where it is, they get to go home safely at the end of the day.

Innocent Ogbuji, general manager of government and Public Relations at WACT, said the terminal operator is committed to safety and continuous safety improvement.

He encouraged colleagues, government officials, and everyone present to be curious about safety in the right direction.

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“All this while, safety has been engineered from the top, but we want it to start from you, and that is why we want you to be curious. From the top, we make policies and processes that you carry out but now, we want you to question things, learn more about the process, and improve it. We also encourage the government agencies to be curious with us,’’ he said.

Also speaking, Adeboye Ogunpolu, manager of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) at WACT, said the operator is committed to ensuring that everyone who comes to the terminal including colleagues, customers, vendors, and government agencies, goes home safely.

He said the company has deployed some proactive initiatives to ensure safety is at its peak including procuring a new firefighting truck, recovery tow truck, and water browser truck.
“These new additions will enhance our safety measures and emergency response capabilities. I encourage everyone to take ownership and responsibility of safety in their respective workspace even in the drive to work efficiently. Ensure you are your brother’s keeper because our first commitment to safety is to come to work safely and go home safely. Stay curious, learn something every day, and stay safe,’’ he said.

Osuntuyi Niyi, senior safety officer of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at Onne Port Complex, commended WACT for observing the annual Global Safety Day to promote safety in the workplace and reiterated NPA’s vision to deliver efficient port services in a safe, secure and customer-friendly environment.

“Safety is very paramount, and it is everybody’s responsibility. Ensure you take safety very seriously in your day-to-day operations,’’ he said.

Delivering the keynote address, Ottomfonobong Akpan, manager of Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment (QHSE) at INTELS Nigeria Ltd, commended WACT for maintaining a high level of safety.
“It is important that we show the strong desire to know more and there are five things we should be inquisitive about in the workplace including people, equipment, materials, methods, and the environment,” he said.