Tin-Can Island Port (TCIP) in Lagos received a total of 213 ships with 6.77 million tonnes of goods in the first quarter of this year, the Port Manager, Emmanuel Akporherhe, has said.
Receiving the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) led by its Chairman, Emmanuel Adesoye, Akporherhe said the major challenge facing the port was traffic gridlocks.
He commended the persistent efforts of the Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman and her team, in drawing Federal Government’s attention to the terrible condition of the Oshodi -Apapa-Oworonshoki expressway.
According to him, Tin-Can Island Port was commissioned on Oct. 11, 1977 to address the increase in volume of imports and exports brought about by the oil boom in the 70s and the post-civil war reconstruction era.
Akporherhe urged the board to support the port with more funds to enable it carry out some renovations in the port complex.
Responding, Adesoye said that the NPA board visited Lagos ports to assess the impact of the traffic gridlocks on port operations.
“The solution to the gridlock is currently being addressed although there are few roads and there is also the need to create more roads,” Adesoye said.
He said that by the time the railway system is operational together with the concrete construction of Mile 2 – Tin-Can Road – Oworonshoki road, the problem of gridlock on ports access roads would be reduced.
The board chairman said that the introduction of the use of barges at the Tin-Can Port, Ikorodu Lighter Terminal and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal was drastically reducing pressure on port access roads.
He said that availability of operational rail system and functional barges would also solve the problem of constant gridlock to a large extent if not eliminate it completely.
Adesoye said that the Federal and Lagos State Government has commenced the construction of Lekki Deep seaport to enable bigger vessels call at the port.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the board visited, among others, JosepDam Ports Service Nigeria Ltd. ENL Consortium, Apapa Bulk Terminal, Five Star Logistics and APM Terminal.
NAN reports that officials of the APM Terminals, however, shut their doors against the visiting NPA board members by not disallowed them from entering their offices.
(NAN)