Stevedoring Companies Lament Drop in Ship Calls at Nigerian Ports in 2018

By ZION Olalekan

The Nigerian Association of Stevedoring Companies has lamented that there was a drop in the number of vessels that called at Nigerian ports in year 2018.

President of the association, Mr. Bolaji Sunmola told journalists in Lagos recently that though the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is yet to release the statistics of ships that called at the port in 2018, the stevedoring companies have counted losses due to reduction in the number of ships calling at the port.

Sunmola blamed the reduction in the traffic gridlock on the port access roads which makes it difficult for containers to leave the port as at when due.

Speaking, he said “By the time we take a final statistics of this year, you would have seen a drastic drop in the number of ships calling at our ports and this is as a result of the gridlock we have. Everything locked jam now and I am not sure that the throughput we had four years ago can still be repeated with what we have now.

“Comparing year 2018 to 2016 and 2017 where there was 2million tonnes drop, we don’t know what this year would hold, by January or February would have finished the collation of the figures and determine the effect of the gridlock”.

Sunmola also raised alarm over the drop in activities at the ports. According to him, vessels are no longer calling at Nigerian Ports compared to three years ago and this has led to a drop in revenue for the operators.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that cargoes are not being discharged as at when due, turnaround time is high, we have seen queues of trailers waiting to collect cargoes weeks unending, so this has directly affected output and performance of cargo delivery and discharge” he said.

Sunmola also stressed the need for stevedoring companies to have a National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement which would regulate their operations, especially as regards operations at various jetties.

Recall that the NJIC agreement on terminal operations was signed into law few weeks ago. The agreement however mainly focused on improvement in welfare of Nigerian dockworkers.

Sunmola said the NJIC agreement signed is just on the concessioned area, “we are still waiting for the NJIC on jetty operations and other locations” he said.

In the recently signed CBA by the NJIC, Sunmola said though the association had its inputs, but it would be making an official comment soon.

He said though the agreement has been signed but the stevedoring group have not read what was signed.

He however said ‘It is in the interest of the industry, once the workers are happy, there would be peace in the industry which is the major interest of everyone. Stevedoring companies all over the world cannot be wished away because it would lead to chaos”.

Sunmola also corrected that there is no stevedoring company that does not make provision for kitting; he said this has been compelled by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and it can never be flouted.

He called on all stevedoring companies to ensure proper discipline of their workers and appropriate sanction for those who feel too big to put on their kits.

Speaking further, he said, “It is not possible because NIMASA would not even allow you to sleep, there are stringent regulations to ensuring that you have them in place, what is the purpose of having kits that you are not putting on the workers, it all depends on strict supervision by each company to ensure the workers comply, some of the dockworkers feel too big to wear their kits.

“However there is way that it could be enforced, each company should ensure that they put in place, discipline and sanctions as at when due, there is no company that can flout the kitting policy of NIMASA” he said.