Business
APMT Boosts Operations With N21.6bn
The sum of US $135 mil
lion (N21.6 billion) has been earmarked by the board of Directors APM Terminals Apapa to boost investment in the port.
According to a release made available to The Tide in Lagos, the amount would be expended on capital projects which will add another 25 hectares (62acres) in yard area along with eight new mobile harbour cranes and 13 rubber-tyre gantry cranes, (RTGS), boosting annual containers capacity at West Africa’s largest and busiest container terminal from 600,000 to over one million by 2015.
The Managing Director, Mr. Dallas Hampton stated that “we have done a lot of catching up over the past five years, but we are going to be setting the pace here for West African Port Operations for the next 50 years.
“We have just ordered three new mobile harbour cranes for delivery next April, which will bring us to nine and one STS, the new expansion project, which will develop the north side of the terminal, will add another eight mobile harbour cranes and 13 RTGs as well as enhanced IT and other operations related equipment”.
Since assuming operational and managerial control over the Apapa container terminal, APM terminals have invested USD $190 million (30.4 billion) in infrastructure improvement and training.
Container put during this period has more than tripled to over 600,000, TEUs as vessel waiting times have been slashed and average operational productivity has quadruped from six moves per hour to 24 MPH using mobile harbour cranes.
The facility, the busiest in West African with 485,000 TEUs handled in 2010 is projected to surpass 600,000 TEUs in volume for 2011. With a recently dredged 13.5 meter draft and 1005 meters of quay. APM terminals Apapa is also one of the few facilities able to accommodate the newest 250 long 4,500 TEU capacity West Africa-Max (WAFMAX) vessels entering into the growing West African trade lanes.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos