- The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) plans to auction containers that have exceeded their required time at Nigerian ports to alleviate congestion and improve efficiency.
- The decision came after a sensitization drive involving shipping lines, freight forwarders, and clearing agents, and an assessment tour of the ports by a government team.
- The ports in Lagos and Tincan Island, as well as the Eastern-based ports, are currently burdened with a significant number of overtime cargoes and containers, which have contributed to infrastructure deterioration.
In a move to alleviate congestion and free up valuable space at Nigeria’s ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has announced its intention to auction containers that have exceeded their required time at the ports.
This was disclosed in a statement by Mrs Josephine Moltok, General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos.
The decision was made following a comprehensive sensitization campaign involving shipping lines, freight forwarders, and clearing agents.
The planned auction aims to streamline operations and enhance efficiency within Nigeria’s port facilities.
Decongestion
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it plans to commence the evacuation of overtime cargoes to decongest Nigerian ports.
The decongestion of the ports to enable efficient operations came after the June 23 inter-agency team on an assessment tour led by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdelene Ajani, adding:
- “The team comprising of the NPA, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council made an assessment tour of overtime cargoes littering the ports.
- “The Lagos and Tincan Island Port Complexes and the Terminals therein including Ikorodu Lighter Terminal have over the years been occupied with 3,200 units of overtime cars and about 3,295 units of overtime containers respectively.”
Eastern Ports
The NPA also revealed that Nigeria’s Eastern-based ports had a combined total of 956 overtime containers, citing port infrastructure is designed as a transit location as opposed to holding dead weight tonnages for years which this age-long overtime cargo constitute.
- “This awkward situation apart from constraining terminal spaces required for seamless cargo handling operations in the ports, has contributed to deterioration of port infrastructure,”
- “Following the inspection tour which was held on June 23 and June 24 respectively, an all-stakeholder sensitisation involving shipping lines, and the association of freight forwarders and clearing agents was convened on June 26.
- “It was unanimously agreed that all cargoes and containers that have overstayed their required time at the ports should be auctioned “in-situ” (in their current locations) and removed immediately from the ports.”
NPA noted that to ensure transparency and inclusiveness, the modalities to govern the auction process would be finalised by all stakeholders and would be after a similar sensitisation meeting with stakeholders in the eastern ports of Warri, Rivers, Onne and Calabar.