The congestion at the Lagos ports is creating a major setback for shippers, with more than 26 vessels being trapped in the Lagos Pilotage district, waiting to berth and discharge consignments. According to local media, it can at as much as 20 days for ships to berth at Apapa Ports because of the congestion in the terminals.
Terminal operators are complaining about the situation, at the same time when shipping companies are also worried about the condition, which negatively impacts their movement across global routes.
Until 21 January, 26 ships were tagged as Customs Release Not Applicable (CRNAPP), making Hapag-Lloyd complain, explaining that this situation affects its movement cycle.
Specifically, it noted that the waiting time for berthing in APMT terminal (Apapa) is more than 20 days, while it is more than 10 days at TICT terminal (Tincan Island).
In order to overcome this challenge and to minimize the negative effect on all of our Customers using these services, we are continuously evaluating the situation and taking schedule integrity measures for each vessel approaching Port of Lagos
Most of the vessels are laden with containerised cargo, wheat and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol.
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What is more, 20 new ships are expected to arrive in Nigeria until February 1, carrying wheat, sugar, base oil, fish, general cargo, steel, salt, containerised cargo and petrol.
In response to the recent increase in the waiting time of vessels calling at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, the Nigerian Ports Authority have met with shipping companies and terminal operators. After discussions, they agreed on specific actions, in order to immediately resolve the congestion in the Lagos Pilotage District:
- As from Monday January 27, 2020, vessels which have waited to berth at any terminal within the Lagos Pilotage District will be diverted to other terminals with capacity to berth vessels within the district;
- In the event that all terminals in Lagos cannot discharge any vessels within four days, such vessels will be diverted to the Eastern Ports (other pilotage districts) for immediate berthing;
- The Authority will liaise with other relevant government agencies on behalf of stakeholders to expedite the clearance of vessels and cargoes, where necessary;
- These actions have been taken to promote the Ease of Doing Business Policy of the Federal Government and curtail the negative economic impact that the long turnaround time of vessels has on stakeholders.
