The terminal, located in Ijora, Lagos, was commissioned in
October, 2020 to alleviate the difficulties experienced by various port users,
including truckers, shipping lines, agents and consignees, in accessing the
Lagos ports.
According to Paul Van den Linden, Head of Terminal, SIFAX
ICT, while presenting the score card, the phenomenal growth of the terminal in
the last one year was due to the smart solutions and excellent service of the
company.
He said: “In the last one year, the terminal has recorded great
strides in line with its core objectives of offering clients a smart
alternative in cargo clearing around the Lagos ports. Our clients don’t have to
go through the stress of traffic gridlock to clear their goods. Our terminal
has saved them the stress.
“For our first year of operations, the terminal has recorded
33,500 TEUs of cargo processed. These include 22,000 TEUs of full-laden
containers, 10,000 TEUs of empty containers and 1,500 TEUs of export
containers. This was achieved due to our solid investment in technology,
responsive customer care as well as a motivated work force”.
Linden also said the terminal’s customer base has risen to
over 600, including agents, importers and exporters. He noted further that the
company has launched a reefer container business to support farmers who are
exporting temperature-sensitive produce.
“The terminal is also playing comfortably in the reefer
container space. We now have a solution where we pick temperature-sensitive
produce directly from farms across the country to our terminal in Lagos, from
where we ship them abroad in excellent condition,” he said.
On the terminal’s future plans, Linden said the phenomenal
growth of the company in the last one year has necessitated an expansion of its
facilities with the acquisition of adjoining properties which are currently
being reconstructed to cope with the surge in demand.
He said the current capacity of the terminal which stands at
15,000 square meters will be increased to 83,000 square meters when the on-going
expansion work is completed.
Other projects in the terminal’s future plan include
building of a strong quay in readiness to berth feeder vessels, as well as the
purchase of more cargo handling equipment and a transit park for trucks using
the facility.
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