Truck owners blame Apapa gridlock on lack of holding bay

The Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has expressed its displeasure the Federal Government failure to direct shipping line agencies and tank farms to acquire spaces for container stacking.

The Executive Secretary of the association, Aloga Ogbogo who spoke with maritimenigeria360.com in his office, commended the recent efforts by the Nigerian Navy to clear trucks that have taken over roads leading to the ports.

Recall that, before the recent development, Lagos state government and federal agencies in charge of traffic control had made efforts to clear the roads leading to the ports of trucks to ease traffic congestion to no avail.

“The truth of the matter is that these shipping companies should have container stacking areas. The containers should go to the stacking area before being moved to the port where the vessels to load these containers are anchored.

“They have refused to own container stacking areas and we have implored government to force them. Why is government running away from implementing that policy?” He queried.

“I am happy they have moved the trucks and I hope they will not have attendant consequences. The attendant consequences may be scarcity of petroleum products.”

“The regulatory agencies that approve construction of tank farms when they know that the tank farms do not have holding bays, they should explain to Nigerians why we have such situations.

Speaking further, Aloga maintained, that, the shipping companies are running away from handling charges hence refusal to acquire container stacking area.

He said as a result, importers incur demurrage, transporters turnaround time is impossible as well as the roads get filled up with trucks waiting to discharge empty containers.

The NARTO helmsman further stated that, lack of holding bays in most of the 63 tank farms in Nigeria, non-functioning of the 22 depots in the country trucks that are supposed to load in other depots coming to Lagos to get products.

“If the tank farms have holding bays, why should the number of trucks be so high? They should go to the new and farm holding bays and from there, they are called to load products.

“That’s what the ideal situation should have been but because there are no sufficient truck holding bays, that’s why the trucks are there (on the roads).