Anxiety Mounts Over Weak Quay Aprons At Nigerian Ports … As NPA Begins Survey

By Dapo Olawuni

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman has said that the agency is conducting survey of major port terminals, saying that there has been a rising concern about the dilapidated quay aprons of Nigerian Ports.

Hadiza stated this on Monday while receiving a delegation of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) in Marina on Monday.

The NPA boss revealed that the authority has received complaints from terminal operators that the quays at the terminals were too weak to accommodate the heavy cranes and other heavy equipment imported by the concessionaires.

Hadiza assured that NPA consultancy service to do a conditional survey of the quays in Tin Can Port, even as she assured that the rehabilitation of the quays at Ikorodu Lighter Terminal is already being completed by 80%.

She said “We have actually issued out a consultancy service to do a conditional survey of the quays in Tin Can Port, on that basis we are going to have a clear perspective on what needs to be done to address the state of the quays”

“However, even if the quays in Tin Can Island are rehabilitated, Nigeria still needs to have a deep seaport, so whether the infrastructure status is optimal or not, we need to have deeper draft which would enable us compete favorably as the Shipping industry changes to recognize the larger vessels”

“At Ikorodu terminal, we are rehabilitating the quays, the contractor has reached 80% completion to ensure strong quays are provided to use the place for agric processing”

She said that currently, barges are being used to convey agric export cargoes to and from the terminal in order to ease congestion at the Apapa ports.

She said “Terminal operators have lamented that the larger cranes they bring in are too heavy for the strength of the quays, so they want us to reinforce some of these quays before they would be able to deploy heavier cranes that need stronger quays to be mounted”