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Cargo throughput increases in third quarter

By on November 29, 2014

Cargo throughput in the nation’s seaports has increased  by 12.5 per cent in the third quarter of this year, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said.
Data collated by the authority and obtained by THISDAY showed that cargo throughput handled at Nigerian ports in the third quarter of 2014 stood at 22.3 million metric tons (mmt), showing an increase of 12.5 per cent over 19.8mmt handled in the third quarter of last year.
According to the data, the nation’s seaports handled 4.21mmt of general cargo representing an increase of 41.7 per cent over the 2013 third quarter volume; 2.6 mmt of dry bulk cargo representing a marginal increase of 0.6 per cent over the corresponding period of 2013 while Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) volume stood at 5.1mmt, a growth of 5.8 per cent compared with 4.9 mmt  in 2013.
NPA Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr.  Musa Ilya, who confirmed the development, said the ports also handled 5.2 mmt of refined petroleum products; 277,694 TEUs of laden containers and 217,080 TEUs of empty containers representing 9.1per cent  three per cent and 9.5 per cent increases respectively over the third quarter of 2013.
Giving further insight into the increase, Musa said, “In the third quarter of 2014, a total of 1,405 oceans going vessels called at all Nigerian ports as against a total of 1,366 vessels that called at the same period in 2013 representing an increase of 2.9 percent. The total gross registered tonnage (GRT) of all ocean going vessels in the third quarter 2014 amounted to 38 million metric tons representing an increase of 9.8 percent increase over the GRT of 34.6 million metric tons in the same period of 2013.”
Musa stated that during the period under review, Lagos Port Complex (LPC) Apapa recorded a gross registered tonnage of 10.1mmt, showing an increase of nine per cent over 9.3mmt achieved in 2013. The port, he said, handled 397 vessels during the period.
According to him,  Tin can Island Port recorded a gross registered tonnage of 13.1mmt indicating an increase of 16.8 percent over 11.2mmt recorded in the corresponding period of 2013 while the port handled 475 ocean going vessels. Calabar Port complex recorded a total GRT of 1.05mmt showing a rise of 40 percent over 751,553 gross tons of 2013, leaving the port with 72 ocean going vessels in the period under review.
A further breakdown of the data showed that while Rivers Port Complex, Port Harcourt, recorded a total gross registered tonnage of 1.9 mmt showing an increase of 37.8 per cent over 1.4mmt achieved in the corresponding period of 2013, the port handled 126 ocean going vessels.
On the other hand, Onne Port Complex recorded a GRT of 10.4mmt reflecting an increase of seven per cent over 9.7mmt recorded in the corresponding period of 2013 with 207 vessels handled within the period while Delta Port Complex handled 128 vessels.
Meanwhile,  Musa has quoted the Managing Director of NPA, Alhaji Habib Abdullahi, as saying the continuous growth experienced in the nation’s seaports was a reflection of its efforts anchored on the need to deliver an efficient port service in a safe, secure and customer friendly environment, in accordance with the international best practices.
According to him, the management has continued to pay attention to first and foremost improving existing port infrastructures in the areas of rehabilitation of port quay walls and aprons, secondly deepening our channels and thirdly the upgrading and renovation of our common user facilities, wrecks removal from our channels as well as other necessary engineering and marine works to ensure the efficiency of our service delivery and meeting the expectation of our stakeholders both foreign and local.
Abdullahi said NPA would continue to work at ensuring that no congestion is experienced at the ports even as  the Authority, has in conjunction with Nigerian Customs Service, facilitated the movement of 2,500 overtime boxes to Ikorodu, an exercise which is still on-going.
And in continuation of its determination to avoid the gridlock around Apapa area, the authority has secured the approval of Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the award of contract for the construction of three lane road in Tin Can Island Port with a three-month completion period. This is addition to the palliative measures embarked upon by Julius Berger for the repairs of the Apapa-Oshodi Express way, while the major renovation of the road commences.

 

[ThisDay]