Captain Ibraheem Olugbade, the Executive Director,
Administration, Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHS), operator of
the Terminal C, Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, said that it was the number one in
the handling of barges at the Tin Can Island Port.
Many terminal operators have adopted barge as an alternative
option for cargo transfer in view of the deplorable access roads that have made
transfer through the road a nightmarish experience.
According to Olugbade, while reacting to the reports, Ports
& Cargo terminal is the number one in the handling of barges at the Tin Can
Island Port, Lagos, going by the volume of cargoes and the investment made in
cargo handling equipment.
He said: “It is not right for the terminal to be accused of
not doing well in barge operations. The terminal does an average of 800 TEUs
through the barge on a monthly basis while its dwelling time is just some days.
We have invested in barges and some new equipment that guarantee improvement in
our operations.
“Due to the reliable and efficient barge operations at our
terminal, the empty and export containers of MSC from other terminals always
find their way to Ports & Cargo terminal.
“The major challenge is that not much is happening in terms
of cargo transfer through the road. The roads are not accessible. The
congestion is unbearable. All the adjoining roads and streets around the ports
are blocked.
Trucks stay for weeks just to access the terminals. Even
those who load in the terminal find it difficult to exit. Ports and Cargo can’t be blamed for this.”
Being a solution-driven business, the parent company of
PCHS, SIFAX Group, invested billions of naira in a new bonded facility at
Ijora, Lagos in order to decongest the ever-busy Lagos port complex.
On port automation, Olugbade said the company was in the
test phase of the process and would launch its online payment platform by
January 2021.
Olugbade further pledged the readiness of the terminal as
well as its parent company, SIFAX Group in finding a lasting solution to the
logistics problem bedeviling the sector, adding that a speedy completion of the
ongoing reconstruction of the access roads will bring the needed relief to all
port users.