Congestion persists at Lagos ports despite NPA’s vessels diversion directive

Abiola Seun

Congestion of vessels at anchorage and cargoes at seaports still persists three weeks after the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) issued directive for diversion of vessels to eastern ports over congestion of Lagos port, investigation has shown.

Recall that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had said it would on Monday 27th of January start diverting vessels that had been held up for longer periods of time in the congestion crisis rocking the Lagos ports to other ports in the eastern ports of Onne, Rivers, Calabar and Warri.

Last week, German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd has said it will start diverting container vessels destined for Apapa ports to Tin-Can Island port over congestion.

The company said this was because the current waiting time for a berth in APMT terminal in Apapa, Nigeria, is more than 25 days, while for TICT terminal (Tincan Island) waiting time exceeds 10 days.

These operational delays are heavily affecting Hapag-Lloyd’s two services, MIAX and MWX, which have calls at both terminals in their long-term schedules.

Also, clearing agents have said weeks after the directives was issued there haven’t been any diversion of vessels from the Lagos Port to any of the eastern ports.

Speaking, the former President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Engr. Matthew Alalade said the authority must have halted the diversion due to the increasing insecurity in the area.

He said the authority must have considered the risk involved in diverting cargoes to the region and decided to stop the diversion.

According to him “The diversion of vessels is a good thing but in the wrong direction, in the sense that security matters a lot, they should secure the water ways in that region first, we don’t know what the government is doing about that, because if you don’t secure the place who will want to take his vessel there, most of the shippers believe that Lagos is relatively secured for them, the diversion is good but insecurity in the region is the problem” he said.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Nestellos Gateway Group, Chief Ernest Elochukwu who operates at Port Harcourt said that he doesn’t know why the authority halted the diversion while stating that insecurity in the region is being exaggerated.

He added that wrong impression is being created about Nigeria in order to scare away investors.

“I think there is a wrong impression created that there is insecurity at the eastern port, the challenge is about Nigeria as a whole.”

“The movement of cargoes to eastern ports is not something that should be causing confusion because there is congestion at Apapa and Tin Can Port, these ports were built with public funds, and in other countries there is deliberate allocation of cargoes or tonnage to various ports to ensure that there is a balanced use of the port.”

“But a situation whereby it was left on its own to run, maybe the shipper prefers Apapa port because it is closer for them to drop the cargo and go, but this is not good for our maritime industry”

“We can actually look at the issue of the congestion to see how we can do equitable cargo distribution in the country, because some of the factors causing the difficulty are created because there is scarcity around there”.