Crisis Looms as Rail Contractor Demolishes Port Exit Gate
Operations at the Apapa container terminal, operated by APM Terminals, were paralysed on Wednesday as the contractor handling the rail project at the Apapa port mobilised to site, blocked the truck exit gate and began demolition of structures in the terminal.
The action of the Chinese rail project contractor has hampered Customs inspection, release and exit of containers at Nigeria’s busiest seaport.
Experts said the demolition of structures including the terminal exit gate could compromise safety and security at the facility and is in breach of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Many importers and clearing agents were unable to conclude their transactions while loaded trucks were unable to exit the terminal.
The blockade also made it impossible for empty trucks to enter the terminal to pick up containers for delivery to their owners. The situation has further compounded the Apapa gridlocks as trucks piled up on the port access road.
“This is terrible. I have never seen this kind of thing before in this port. There was no warning, no prior notice from the railway contractor. They just brought their heavy duty machines today and blocked everywhere.
“Port operation has been stopped. It is a standstill. It is total chaos. Everywhere is blocked,” Monday Ekanem, a clearing agent at the Apapa port, lamented.
Another Customs agent blamed the rail project contractor for being insensitive to port operation and the economy, warning that the blockade of West Africa’s largest container terminal would have adverse effect on Nigeria’s economy.
“The rail project is a good idea, but the way the contractor is going about is very wrong. You don’t paralyse port operation. Trade must keep flowing, but it does not appear they understand this at all. Now they have mobilised to site without allowing us to make necessary alternative arrangements for delivery of containers.
“There is also no arrangement for how trucks will enter and exit the terminal. They do not know the implication of what they are doing. And no one knows how long this will last,” the agent, who identified himself as Mohammed said.