Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, on a working visit to Lagos ports, directed the management of Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) to work towards achieving 48 hours’ cargo clearance.
The Minister said he had promised President Muhammadu Buhari that he would ensure Nigerian ports achieved 48 hours’ cargo clearance target.
He said that since other countries operating the maritime industry were achieving 48 hours’ cargo clearance, Nigeria could also achieve it.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of NPA, Malam Habib Abdullahi, said the agency had made great strides, in managing the affairs of the Nigerian ports in the last three years.
During his visit to the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration (NIMASA), the minister requested for the financial and staff audit, for the purpose of accountability and proper placement of staff for effective functioning.
Also in the week under review, the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) called for the regeneration of portions of the Apapa community to expand the port.
The spokesman of the association, Mr Bolaji Akinola, said the proposal would give more room to create more access roads within the port areas.
He said that it was a long-term recommended solution to end the perennial traffic gridlock, which had plagued the Apapa community for a long time.
Akinola also disclosed that the traffic situation in Apapa had partially been responsible for the increased cost of port services which ordinarily could have been avoidable.
Part of the association’s suggested solutions also include the evacuation of petroleum cargo by barges to ports close to various zones for onward distribution.
Also in the week, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) said it would penalise any vessel that failed to comply with the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) scheme from January 1, 2016.
The council said that so far, over 6,000 service providers had started complying with the CTN, and added that those that failed to comply would have themselves to blame.
The Deputy Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement of the Council, Chief Cajetan Agu, who disclosed this during the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) said CTN would check fraudulent practices at the ports.
He said CTN would track the type of goods that were being imported into the country, as well as statistical data of imports and exports.