Terminal operators, under the aegis of Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), have condemned reports that the Federal Government has granted approval to an oil company to build a new tank farm on Creek Road, Apapa, Lagos.
A recent report indicates that the tank farm, which is under construction, has the capacity to hold up to 50 million litres of petroleum products, and will attract about 800 additional trucks per day into the already congested Apapa area.
Vicky Haastrup, chairman of the association, describes the approval as ill timed and ill advised, saying, “It is unheard of that anyone will conceive the idea of setting up a tank farm in Apapa at this time. Government should review this approval so that the problem facing the port community and residents of Apapa is not compounded.”
According to Hasstrup, in addition to bad roads and the absence of truck parks, the preponderance of tank farms and oil depots has largely contributed to “the menace of gridlock in Apapa.
“There is an over-concentration of oil tank farms in Apapa, which is an area predominantly designed for port operations. There is now a situation where we have proliferation of oil tank farms without regards for the safety and logistics implication.”
She says the government needs to consider relocating even the existing tank farms out of Apapa and discontinue approval for new ones, as “tank farms should normally be located several miles away from the city and from the port area for safety reasons.”
She also advocates for more efficient traffic management system in Apapa to enhance the movement of vehicles, while ongoing construction work lasts.
“There is a need to open up the inner roads to allow for free flow of traffic. We also need efficient traffic control measures to allow for free movement of trucks. At present, several cargoes are trapped in the port because of the bad road and the truck queues on the road,” she says.
Recall that recently, Lagos State House of Assembly had in September called on the Federal Government to relocate tank farms from Apapa as a way out of the current gridlock in the area.
Mojisola Miranda, a member representing Apapa Constituency 1, who raised the issue under matter of urgent public importance during plenary, said the activities of tank farm operators in Apapa were not only affecting traffic in the area, but also negatively affecting free flow of traffic in other parts of the state.
