Stakeholders accuse APMT of instigating Apapa gridlock 

Investigations by our correspondent revealed the Danish terminal operators have refused to relinquish over 6000 overtime cargo being harboprefferured in its facility in the last two years.

The terminal operators have the propensity of multiple charges which users of the facility have always complained about and contested.

As a result of disputes arising from such disagreement, most of the cargoes attract demmurage which their owners usually abandoned in frustration.

Stakeholders claimed it was such cargoes which have accumulated over a period of two years that are causing the protracted traffic logjam.

The accumulated cargo has therefore congested the terminal, thereby restricting space for other free consignment.

This development,  sources claimed,  is what normal leads to long queue of trucks which struggle to gain access into the terminal, thus causing traffic gridlock along the access roads and the adjoining feeder roads.
Speaking on the development, a source said that the figure of overtime cargoes at the terminal was obtained from designated shipping company adding that such accumulated containers  could lead to congestion at the port if not evacuated before the end of fourth quarter.
Also confirming the figure to newsmen shortly after a meeting held in Lagos recently, the Chairman of Amalgamated Container Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (ACTOAN), Olaleye Thompson said that officials of APMT also attested to the aforementioned number of containers.
His words, “That is why we want to remove the overtime cargoes from the ports because we will try as much as possible to fix the road on time for it to be passable a bit then the pressure will be on the government to remove the 5,000 to 6,000 containers in the port.
“Those containers have been lying in the terminal for close to two years and that is what is even causing much problem there because there is no space .
“Those 5,000 to 6,000 containers are there and the normal space that were supposed to be used for other consignments are hanging.
Asked how he obtained the figure, the ACTOAN Chairman alleged that “We got the figure from the shipping companies because we met with them while discussing about overtime cargoes in that port.
According to him, “APMT alone has over 5,000 to 6,000 containers and we confirmed from the terminal operators about the figure as well during one of our meetings with them.
When contacted to further buttress the number of containers at the terminal, spokesman of the concessionaire, Mr. Austin Fischer refused to respond to text message put across to him.
Recall that the Controller of Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has expressed worries over the figure of overtime cargoes even as he has threatened to impound such consignments after 28 days.
At a recently held meeting at the command, the Customs called on terminal operators to submit list of overtime cargoes to the command.