Container Pilferage:: ANLCA accuses terminal operators lack of capacity to checkmate ‘wharf rats’

By Dapo Olawuni

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has alleged that some of the terminal operators do not have the necessary requirements of ports and terminal management, saying that this was why ‘wharf rats’ have returned to the port.

Speaking with our correspondent, Chairman of Tin Can Island Port Chapter of ANLCA, Prince Segun Oduntan said he has been a victim of the wharf rats when four containers of Land Cruiser and Hilux Jeeps were vandalised at the Ports and Cargo Terminal.

He narrated that this almost soiled his relationship with his client.

Oduntan said the agents never get to know the level of damage to the vehicles or the cargoes until it has gotten to where the containers would be offloaded.

To this end, the ANLCA Chairman advised clearing agents to always go for examination of cargoes with a recording camera in addition to their android phones, as well as a new padlock which they would be able to identify if their containers were broken.

Our correspondent gathered that the latest activity of the wharf rats was recorded at Hanover Terminal, a bonded terminal at Tin Can Port.

According to him, whenever incidences of vandalization occurs, the agent is usually at loss because the terminal operators don’t pay compensations.

Speaking he said “There is a standard requirement for you to own a terminal, just as there is a standard for licensed customs agent to practice, if all the required standards have been met by the terminal operators, we would not be experiencing all these cases of pilfering”

“It has happened to me before, it happened to me some years back at Ports and Cargo Terminal, they almost soiled the relationship between me and that my client, if not for integrity sake and he knows that we have come a long way”

“You can imagine somebody importing land cruiser vehicles and Hilux of four containers, and upon getting out of the port, they got to where they would discharge and my boys called me to say that the brainbox, the side mirror and and other parts of the vehicles have been removed, I took pictures of everything”

“The problem is that we never get to know the level of damage to these vehicles until when we get to where the containers would be offloaded, this is the only area that Ports and Cargo have used against us.
The vandals break the container and put another similar lock”

“What I will advise my colleagues is this; when you are coming for your cargo examination, bring your own padlock from outside , don’t buy the general padlock that they sell around the port, so that when you are taking delivery of your container, once you notice anything strange about the padlock, before it exits the terminal, you must open that container and look at the cargo”

“But what happens is that most of these agents, due to some exigencies, it is one person that goes for the examination, and when the container is being released, it is another person that goes for it. And once that container exits the terminal, the terminal operators would not be held liable”

“So, my advise to agents, which I also practice is that, if you get to my operational office, I bought a camera which everyone of my staff going for examination of cargoes have to use, apart from their phones, immediately after the close of every examination, we transfer the recording of that examination into our system. So if there is a case of pilfering on any container, there is evidence to show” he said

Oduntan however argued that terminal operators should be held liable because they are supposed to provide adequate security for cargoes kept inside their terminals.

He stressed that if the terminal owners are made to pay compensations, they would have known how to protect their terminal against pilfering and vandalization.

He lamented that the port environment and terminals are always dark at night due to poor lighting.

According to him, even though the Nigerian Ports is subscribed and operates in line with the International Ships and Ports Facility (ISPS) Code, the ports are not well illuminated.

“Part of the requirements of ISPS Code is that the port terminals should be lightened up and security in place, if you come to the port area at night, you will see the whole area dark” he said