NPA cargo throughput up by 2.6% in 2013, says Spokesman

 The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said that the cargo throughput at the ports rose by 2.6 per cent to 19.8 million tonnes in the third quarter of 2013. Mr Musa Iliya, the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs of NPA, disclosed this in Lagos that the ports recorded a cargo throughput of 19.3 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2012.

He said that the increase in cargo throughput was achieved through continuous dredging activities by the Lagos Channel Management and Bonny Channel Management.

“Most of our ports in Lagos and in the Eastern parts of the country recorded a high gross, quite an increase in the gross tonnage of ships that arrived in the areas concerned. This was done due to the dredging activities that were undertaken by the Lagos Channel Management and the Bonny Channel Management.

 “From 2006 to date, the Lagos Channel Management recorded 53.5 million metres and that has attracted a lot of bigger ships coming to the Lagos channel.

The assistant general manager said that containerised cargo throughput handled in the period under review was 3.5 million tonnes; while the ports handled Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) totalling 4.8 million tonnes. He said that the refined petroleum handled in the period under review was 4.8 million tonnes, representing an increase of 24 per cent over 3.8 million tonnes recorded in the corresponding period of 2012. The spokesman said that 76,598 units of vehicles were handled in the third quarter of 2013, an increase of 13 per cent over 67,804 units recorded in the same period of 2012.

According to Iliya, dry bulk cargo handled at the ports in the third quarter of 2013 was 2.5 million tonnes. He said that the general cargo handled at the ports in the period under review was 2.9 million tonnes, representing a decline of 16 per cent over 3.4 million tonnes recorded in 2012. He said that from January 2013 till date, NPA had experienced about 115 per cent growth.

 The spokesman, however, said that the improvements in cargo throughput were being sustained as reflected by the parameters. Iliya said that the consistent efforts of NPA at fulfilling its obligations with the terminal operators would create the enabling environment. He said that the Federal Government would further encourage investors’ confidence in the ports.