In anticipation of further increase in the volume of cargo from Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports complexes, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has given the go ahead for the approval of a new container terminal at Ijegun area of Satellite town in Lagos.
The new terminal which is owned by Jakys Nigeria Limited, occupies 32,000 square meters and it is expected to absorb over 5000 containers at a go, about a ship load.
By the time the terminal comes into full operation it would also solve the chaotic traffic gridlock currently experienced by port users on the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port access roads. This traffic would soon be a thing of the past.
The size of the terminal is about 32,000 square-meters. If properly stacked, it can accommodate over 5,000 containers, and over 25 trucks loading at the same time.
Apart from decongesting the Lagos Ports, importers and exporters can now get their goods faster, instead of having them stay a day more and paying huge demurrage.
Already, the terminal is 90% completed, and has commenced test running about eight months ago. Also, it has gradually started taking away the pressure from the ever busy Lagos port roads and bridges
The terminal is accessed by barges from any of the port terminals, while trucks come in through the roads to evacuate the containers around Satellite Town, Lagos.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive of Jakys Nigeria Limited, owners of the terminal, Sir Henry Muogho while conducting officials of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on an inspection of the facility in Lagos last week, said 23,000 Square meters of the terminal is already being utilised by barges, transferring loaded containers and taking off empty containers.
Sir Henry, as he is fondly called, told journalists that the terminal was leased to Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC Shipping) and its logistics arm; Medlog with a lease agreement of 5 years.
According to him, the terminal is a throughput terminal dedicated for only MSC containers, adding that no third party containers are allowed to come into the terminal.
Speaking, he said “Here is going to be like a throughput jetty, no third party containers are allowed to come in here, as you can see, it is only MSC containers that we have here, this means there is also a call up system for trucks to come in here”
“We have an MoU with the community that made us build the roads, this was part of the lease agreement with MSC and Medlog.”
“Trucks that are coming here would not be parking on the road, therefore, the nuisance value that we have at other ports and terminals, I don’t want to import them here”
“I also do not want to put the residents into confusion, that is why we say that there must be a call up system for trucks coming into the terminals, they come in numbers, when they are going back they go in tens”
“We have been carrying out partial operations for eight months now and there have been no complaints from the community. It is not a container depot as such, but a throughput terminal,” he said
The Jakys Chief Executive Officer explained that the condition for liaising with Medlog and MSC Shipping was that first, they must have a truck park, and they already have it for all their trucks coming to pick cargoes at the terminal.
According to him, “You cannot see any truck parked on the roads. And in the case of a truck breaking down, two hours were given to them to move the truck.
He described the project as a triple plan with holding bays and truck parks being within the same vicinity.
He explained that there is a call-up system from the truck park around Trade Fair Complex along Badagry expressway to the bonded warehouse. There is also a call-up system between the jetty and the bonded warehouse.
“When the terminal becomes fully operational, the traffic volume on our roads would be reduced by not less than 50 per cent”
“While using the bridges as holding bay would no longer be happening as there would be no need for that any longer”
“On the other hand, when other companies do the same thing, the gridlock would be totally eliminated, bridges saved, money spent by the Government for road maintenance would reduce, and the suffering Nigerians are subjected to on a daily basis would be eliminated completely.”
While speaking on the access road to the jetty, Sir Henry opened up on the MOU signed with residents of the area.
He said, “We sand filled about 10 alternative roads for the community. We gave the community money to complete an alternative bridge in the event that trucks are coming in, the community members can have an alternative route to use.
“The community roads were completely waterlogged which we sand filled. The state government also came in to certify that what we did is value-added to the community, by ensuring that the drainage we constructed for the community were in compliance with the state requirements.”
“We also did other drainage that runs to several millions of naira, to evacuate all the waters to the lagoon. As of today, we have successfully tackled the problem of flooding in the whole area of where we operate in Liverpool Estate. We are also creating a vibrant economy.”
Also speaking with our correspondent, the contractor in charge of the project, Messers Jasper Structure Integrated Services Limited said construction works have been ongoing for the past eighteen months.
Chief executive officer of the company, Mr Jasper Akhigbe said the project was 90% completed and that Nigerian Ports Authority officials have been coming around to inspect.
“We gave the terminal owners a timeline of three months to ensure completion, but when we came in, the scope of work expanded.
“By now we ought to have gotten it done, but for some unforeseen challenges. We have been on ground now for the past eighteen months.
What we have on ground now, I think we are about 90 per cent completed,” he said.
