NIWA targets 1000 containers haulage from Lagos to Onitsha

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) says it is targeting to haul 1,000 containers per trip from Lagos to the Onitsha River Port, aimed at decongesting the Lagos ports.

This move is also expected to reduce congestion on the Ore- Benin-asaba Expressway, plied by most containerised trucks delivering goods to the southeastern part of the country from Lagos.

The haulage, according to George Moghalu, managing director of NIWA, would take a maximum of four days from Lagos to Onitsha through the Burutu port in Delta State.

Moghalu disclosed this in Onitsha on Thursday, saying the agency intends to achieve this in collaboration with a private company - Akewa Colmar Terminal Limited, (ACTL).

Moghalu, who spoke through Jibril Darda`u, general manager, corporate affairs of NIWA, said the agency was also engaging the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and other stakeholders to facilitate the commencement of the cargo haulage. According to him, there is an effort to make Onitsha River port functional and decongest the Lagos ports.

“The idea of hauling containers from Burutu ports to Onitsha River port will help to avoid the two small bridges of Gbarekolo and Bumandi.

“Gbarekolo and Bumandi bridges are too tiny and shallow for sea moving badges or vessels to ply through, which is why the company, ACTL, is considering the route from the Lagos ports to Burutu port, then to Onitsha River port as the final destination.

He said that the chairman of ACTL, Kenneth Donye, had during the proposal defence at NIWA liaison office in Abuja, expressed the readiness of the company to carry out historic transshipment from the Lagos ports through Burutu to the Onitsha port.