The recent strike embarked upon by workers of A P Moller to protest the unfavourable condition of service has caused a backlog of uncleared containers, a development that has brought about congestion at the Lagos Port Complex.
Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr Akio Tanaka (l), Secretary, National Planning Commission, Prof. Sylvester Monye (r) at the Nigeria-Japan policy dialogue on economic cooperation with them is Mr Freddie Ntorue, who represented the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Disclosing this to Vanguard in Lagos recently, the Secretary General of the Western Zone of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents Mr Obi Okonkwo said that over five thousand Terminal Delivery Orders of containers ready for delivery are currently trapped in the terminal of A P Moller.
He noted that A P Moller has proven that it cannot handle the volume of traffic at the port and has refused to engage local operators of bonded warehouses, a development that will create a total break down of the port system if not urgently checked.
Okonkwo stated that while the government is proposing a forty-eight hours cargo clearance time, it is taking the terminal operator three weeks to locate a container, thereby taking the port system back to the days of pre-concession.
He opined that the continued stay of these containers will also continue to attract demurrage, adding that this will be passed down to the ordinary man on the street when the goods eventually get to the markets.
His words “ This is a major problem, there are about five thousand terminal delivery order forms already processed by the clearing agents, ready to take delivery of these consignment, but almost two-third of these boxes prepared for delivery cannot be located , invariably, they are in the block stack.
“As I am talking to you now, if you go into Apapa port, it is like hell let loose, but the truth of the matter is that our position on this is that the Association will want to cool the frail nerves of agents who are already agitated, instead of letting it escalate, we are trying to manage the crisis, but the management of A P Moller is not cooperating.”
It would be recalled that about three weeks ago, workers of the APMT protested the poor condition of service thereby causing disruption in the operation of the terminal
The Minister of Labour and Productivity Dr Lawal Hassan happened to be in Lagos when the strike started and between the minister and the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria Comrade Peter Okosilease Irabor resolved the matter.
Part of the resolution was that terminal operators should do an upward review of the condition of service of their workers.
A P Moller, a subsidiary of Mearskline Shipping Company currently has over seven hundred Nigerians on its pay role.
About sixty per cent of entire Apapa port was concessioned to it about three years ago.
Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr Akio Tanaka (l), Secretary, National Planning Commission, Prof. Sylvester Monye (r) at the Nigeria-Japan policy dialogue on economic cooperation with them is Mr Freddie Ntorue, who represented the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Disclosing this to Vanguard in Lagos recently, the Secretary General of the Western Zone of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents Mr Obi Okonkwo said that over five thousand Terminal Delivery Orders of containers ready for delivery are currently trapped in the terminal of A P Moller.
He noted that A P Moller has proven that it cannot handle the volume of traffic at the port and has refused to engage local operators of bonded warehouses, a development that will create a total break down of the port system if not urgently checked.
Okonkwo stated that while the government is proposing a forty-eight hours cargo clearance time, it is taking the terminal operator three weeks to locate a container, thereby taking the port system back to the days of pre-concession.
He opined that the continued stay of these containers will also continue to attract demurrage, adding that this will be passed down to the ordinary man on the street when the goods eventually get to the markets.
His words “ This is a major problem, there are about five thousand terminal delivery order forms already processed by the clearing agents, ready to take delivery of these consignment, but almost two-third of these boxes prepared for delivery cannot be located , invariably, they are in the block stack.
“As I am talking to you now, if you go into Apapa port, it is like hell let loose, but the truth of the matter is that our position on this is that the Association will want to cool the frail nerves of agents who are already agitated, instead of letting it escalate, we are trying to manage the crisis, but the management of A P Moller is not cooperating.”
It would be recalled that about three weeks ago, workers of the APMT protested the poor condition of service thereby causing disruption in the operation of the terminal
The Minister of Labour and Productivity Dr Lawal Hassan happened to be in Lagos when the strike started and between the minister and the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria Comrade Peter Okosilease Irabor resolved the matter.
Part of the resolution was that terminal operators should do an upward review of the condition of service of their workers.
A P Moller, a subsidiary of Mearskline Shipping Company currently has over seven hundred Nigerians on its pay role.
About sixty per cent of entire Apapa port was concessioned to it about three years ago.