The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says it will soon deploy new operational equipment to the various ports in the country as part of measures to enhance their operational capacities.

The Manager of Port Harcourt Port, Mr Dele Alabi, who disclosed this in an interview with The Tide correspondent on Tuesday in Port Harcourt urged port users, especially shipping companies, to bear with the authority as the new equipment, when fully deployed, would enhance the ports’ operations.

“Already, the management of the authority has made arrangement to procure some of these crafts as we speak, I am aware, those crafts are just waiting for deployments, so, I am also waiting to be briefed, fully briefed.

“I intend to look at the report to find out what the situation of things are,’’ Mr Alabi said.

He assured that the authority would come up with answers to the issues raised by the shipping trade group soon.

Chairman of the shipping trade group in Rivers, Mr Miebaka Lugard, said shipping firms had been encountering problems at the Port Harcourt Port.

He said the firms paid for pilot boats and tug boats, but noted that such services had yet to be provided by the authority.

“For some time now, we have not been enjoying these facilities any longer.

“Facilities like tug boats that attend to ships when they are berthing or when they are sailing. We also have pilot boats that convey pilots from Port Harcourt to their places of operations either at Bonny or at Okrika or at Onne.

“And, we also have facilities like pilot cutters that always bring in vessels from the sea to Bonny anchorage for inward movement to the Port or outward movement outside the Port.

“To buttress our case, in every bill we pay, all these facilities are paid for in advance,’’ he said

Lugard said the trade group had forwarded its complaints to the NPA management on such issues.  Severally but to no avail, and called on the authorities to expedite action.