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Ibraheem Olugbade, executive director, Administration of Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHS), operator of the Terminal C, Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, has debunked the report that the terminal isn’t efficient in barge operations.
He said Ports and Cargo, just like many other terminal operators, has adopted barge as an alternative option for cargo transfer in view of the deplorable access roads that have made transfer through the road a nightmarish experience.
According to Olugbade, Ports & Cargo terminal was among number one in the handling of barges at the Tin-Can Island Port going by the volume of cargoes and the investment made in cargo handling equipment.
“It is not right for the terminal to be accused of not doing well in barge operations. The terminal does an average of 800 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) through the barge on a monthly basis with few days dwell time. We have invested in barges and some new equipment that guarantees an improvement in our operations. Due to the reliable and efficient barge operations at our terminal, the empty and export containers of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) from other terminals always find their way to Ports & Cargo terminal,” he said.
While pointing out that not much is happening in terms of cargo transfer by the road, he said port roads are not accessible and that the congestion is unbearable.
Read also: How barge operations are changing the face of Nigeria’s maritime logistics
“All the adjoining roads and streets around the ports are blocked. Trucks stay for weeks just to access the terminals. Even those who load in the terminal find it difficult to exit. Ports and Cargo can’t be blamed for this. Being a solution-driven business, the parent company of PCHS, which is SIFAX Group, invested billions of naira in a new bonded facility at Ijora, Lagos in order to decongest the ever-busy Lagos port complex,” he further said.
On port automation, Olugbade said the company was in the test phase of the process and would launch its online payment platform by January 2021.
Olugbade further pledged the readiness of the terminal as well as its parent company, SIFAX Group in finding a lasting solution to the logistics problem bedevilling the sector, adding that speedy completion of the ongoing reconstruction of the access roads will bring the needed relief to all port users.
