According to Josephine Moltok, the general manager of Corporate and Strategic Communications at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), significant progress has been made in the decongestion of ports to enhance operational efficiency. This was highlighted in a statement issued in Lagos.
Moltok mentioned that the decongestion efforts received a major boost on June 23 when a team led by Magdelene Ajani, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, conducted an assessment tour of the ports. The team consisted of representatives from various agencies involved in port operations and management.
During the assessment tour, the team from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), and Nigerian Shippers’ Council focused on the issue of overtime cargoes that have been causing congestion at the Lagos and Tincan Island Port Complexes, as well as the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal. Josephine Moltok stated that there are approximately 3,200 units of overtime cars and 3,295 units of overtime containers at the Lagos and Tincan Island Port Complexes. Additionally, the eastern ports have a total of 956 overtime containers.
Moltok emphasized that this situation of accumulated overtime cargoes not only hampers the availability of terminal spaces required for efficient cargo handling operations but also contributes to the deterioration of port infrastructure. She further explained that port infrastructure is designed for transit purposes, not for holding outdated cargo for an extended period, which is the case with these long-standing overtime cargoes.
After the inspection tour conducted on June 23 and 24, a stakeholders’ sensitization meeting was held on June 26, involving shipping lines, associations of freight forwarders, and clearing agents. During the meeting, it was unanimously agreed upon that all cargoes and containers that have exceeded their allotted time at the ports should be auctioned “in-situ,” meaning they would be auctioned at their current locations within the ports. These overstayed cargoes and containers would then be promptly removed from the ports.
Josephine Moltok stated that to ensure transparency and inclusiveness, the specific procedures and guidelines for the auction process would be finalized through collaborative efforts among all stakeholders. She mentioned that a similar sensitization meeting with stakeholders in the eastern ports of Warri, Rivers, Onne, and Calabar would also take place to address the issue in those regions.
The managing director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, has consistently emphasized the need for cooperation between NPA and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to facilitate the timely clearance of overtime cargo from the ports and terminal yards. The objective is to create more space within the ports and preserve the longevity of the costly port infrastructure. By removing the overtime cargo in a timely manner, the ports can operate more efficiently and effectively, optimizing their capacity to handle incoming cargo and ensuring the smooth flow of goods.