NPA MD says investments increased at Tin Can Port

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), on Thursday, said that private terminal
operators had increased the level of investments and developments at the Tin
Can Island Port (TCIP) Complex.

Malam Habib Abdullahi, the
Managing Director, made this known during his tour of the Tin Can Island Port
in Lagos.

“The ports have improved, they
look better and the way things are done has improved.

“It is quite impressive and I am pleased with
the progress, though we are not yet there but we have moved from where we used
to be,” Abdullahi said.

The NPA boss, however, expressed concern about
the numerous abandoned trucks on the roads.

“All Nigerian Ports, except
Calabar, have the challenge of abandoned vehicles on the roads. “We must come
up with suggestions on how to solve the challenge of abandoned trucks,” he
said.

Abdullahi said that he would
set up a committee to advise the NPA management on how best to solve the
problem of abandoned vehicles and make Nigerian ports similar to ports in the
Western countries.

Mr
Efiota Ephraim, the Port Manager, Tin-can Island Port Complex, who also spoke
during the tour, said that the complex generated slightly above N689 million
and 32 million dollars (N5.1 billion) in the third quarter of 2012.

Ephraim
said that the figure was higher than N347.2 million and 31.2 million dollars
(N4.9 billion) recorded in the corresponding period of 2011.

He
said that the vehicle traffic for the third quarter of 2012 was 68,727 units,
compared to 63,080 units achieved in the same period of 2011.

The
port manager said that the key performance indicator of turnaround time of
ships for the third quarter of 2012 stood at 5.76 as against 5.53 in the same
period of 2011.

He
said that the average berth occupancy for the third quarter stood at 68.8 per cent.