NPA to stop receiving empty containers from truckers this week

Harboursandport.com: Lagos--- Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) will stop receiving empty containers into the port from truckers as from this week as a means of controlling the traffic situation around the port town of Apapa.

To this end, the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, has directed Port Managers in the Lagos area to stop receiving containers directly from importers and their agents from next week.

Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman

Recall that at a stakeholders meeting held in Apapa to find lasting solution to the lingering traffic situation around the port town, shipping companies were asked to provide holding bays for their empty containers were such containers are to remain until they are ready to be shipped out.

With the new directive to the Port Managers, only containers coming from each shipping company’s holding bay will be allowed access into the port from next week.

 Confirming this in Lagos, Port Manager of Tin-can Island port, Engr. Emmanuel Akporherhe, said they may start enforcing the directive next week.

He said most of the problems are a fall out of the one created by empty containers returning to the port, noting that solving the problem will ease others and create opportunity for maintenance work on the road to commence.

 According to the Port Manager, “Most of the shipping companies do not have holding bays, it is no more news. We published their holding bays in the papers recently, some even put down the capacity of their holding bays.

“Very soon, according to the Managing Director, if you do not have holding bay your empties will not have anywhere to come from because only those who holding by will be allowed into the port,” he concluded.