..As Average Truck Owner Stands to Lose Between N5 and N10 Million For The Delays
ZAINAB JUNAID
What seems to be a reprieve for Apapa Port Access Road Users and Commuters, after a collaborative effort among agencies to ensure an end to traffic gridlock, has suddenly turned into a scene of dismay with a resurgence of truck congestion.
A development that has brought skepticism and mixed reactions, leaving many in doubt. However, a visit by TransitNews Ng to the route revealed various perspectives on the resurgence.
Some commuters and truckers who spoke on condition of anonymity, accused regulatory authorities of deliberately deploying delay tactics in issuing call- ups to drivers, allegedly to siphon cash; others blamed the technical glitches and inefficiencies of terminal Operators, especially APM Terminal Operator, given that most vehicles were headed to APM Terminal yard. Meanwhile, another faction attributed the congestion to maintenance related roadblocks on the access road.
An agent, speaking on condition of anonymity accused the regulatory authority officials assigned to Lilypond for deliberately delaying trucks, allegedly to extort money.
He said, “The issue has to do with the authority, they don’t release trucks in time from Lilypond when there is work on ground, they will deliberately cause traffic to extort money. It’s a deliberate act. When the driver of a Truck is not attended to in time, how do you want him to go, he will have to wait till he is given the call up so that he can load and others will continue to join the queue before you know it, the road is congested. So they should try to be transparent in their dealings”.
A trucker, also on condition of anonymity, on his part, blamed terminal operators’ inefficiency for the congestion.
To him, “If the terminal operation is fast, there will be fast movement of trucks into the Port, leading to less visibility of gridlock. The slower their operations, the higher the gridlock on Port Access Road. I cannot explain why the APM Terminal operations for example, slowed down since last week, though they have terminal equipment, the infrastructure is there, but one cannot explain what causes the delay. This is because the gridlock is on the inbound trucks to their yard.
“I believe the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) is aware of the development and as the technical port regulator, we expect them to engage the terminal operators to increase their operations. Though, they said they are on the issue. But they really need to engage the terminal operators and see how they can enhance their efficiency. The issue is not only on gridlock, it is affecting trucks turn around time, cargo dwelling time too. The more cargoes stay in Port, the more the importers spent more money to revalidate and by the time the goods comes out, it is the end user that bears the brunt”.
He bemoaned the consequences of the delays on trucks turn around time, stating, “Under normal circumstances, a truck completes 5-6 trips but with the situation on ground, you can hardly run single trip in a week. Besides, for this delay, an average truck owner can loose N5-N10 million”.
The trucker further emphasised that terminal operators should be transparent about their daily truck handling capacity.
“If a terminal operator knows that they cannot handle more than 200 trucks daily, then they should not request for more than that number. They should stop requesting for more than their capacity. Once their request is being released and eventually could not service the whole numbers, there will be spill overs on the road, leading to congestion, and gridlock,” he said. “This cripple trade facilitation. For example, APM Terminal requested for 380 trucks and was able to service 200 plus, with a spill over of more than 150 trucks on the road. How will trade facilitation be enhanced? The regulatory agency need to engage all the terminal operators to avoid hindrances of doing business, seamless cargo evacuation and the Nigeria economy as a whole”.
Meanwhile, the management of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) attributed the congestion to maintenance related roadblocks on the access road.
“The construction of the road is ongoing, and the Ministry of Works has closed some parts of the road. This is contributing to the congestion. Unknowingly, those releasing trucks, from either the gate or transit park, haven’t taken into consideration the blockage that Federal Ministry of Works did, and no matter how small the blockage is, it will definitely affect the movement of trucks. That is what contributed to the gridlock we are experiencing,” he stated.
Speaking further, he stressed that apart from the ongoing reconstruction around the marine bridge, the authority need to review the method of releasing trucks.
“Trucks should not be released beyond the road’s capacity nor should be released beyond each terminal’s capacity. I believe management is working on that. The Port Manager has promised that everything is being put in place to address these issues. He has even engaged his traffic team on how to modify truck releases and has engaged us too on how to resolve this issue. We are in the era of technology, which calls for less human interference, or, if possible none at all, as this would help bring sanity to the system”.
Speaking further, he added that “If there’s a barrier programmed for a particular truck, the barrier will only respond to that truck, and there won’t be any form of blackmail because a machine does not favour any human. It operates based on its programming. So, I believe the Port management is working on that too. We’re clamoring for a fully automated system for releasing and passing trucks, eliminating the need for shortcuts or bribes. In my opinion, APM Terminal has the capacity to implement what they’re requesting, and I can’t accuse them”.
The APM Terminal Officials on their part, responded to the allegations of operational inefficiency as part of the factor causing the congestion at the Port, stressing that the terminal has the capacity to handle over 700 trucks daily.
During a visit to the terminal’s yard on Tuesday, their representative stressed that they are not the reason for the resurgent congestion at the Port.
She stated that APM Terminal does not have control over activities outside the yard.
In her words, “We only have control over trucks that have entered our yard and transaction begins when a truck enters our yard. That is when we start counting time for a truck. Our terminal is always viable and equipped to service the trucks. I don’t understand why APM Terminal should be blamed for the congestion. Under no circumstances do we delay trucks from entering our yard. In fact on Monday’s day shift we handled more than 221 deliveries due to low influx of trucks and as of 1pm on Tuesday, we’ve completed over 134 deliveries, you can imagine how many more will be cleared before the day ends,” she stressed.
