House Committee mediates between JPS, Honeywell over seaport rift

The House Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation on Thursday mediated in a 10 years rift between the terminal operator of Terminal A of the Tin-Can Island Port, JosepDam Port Services (JPS) and a milling firm, Honeywell Flour Mills over a dispute concerning the presence of a conveyor belt which the milling firm claimed it deactivated.

According to the Chairman of the House Committee, Shadimu Mutiu the riff which has been in court for more than 10 years hopefully would be resolved out of court.

In his words, “the conveyor belt in question belongs to Honeywell but is situated inside terminal A which belongs to JPS. Hopefully, we will resolve the issue out of court.”

Presenting his statement, Managing Director of JPS, Simon Travers explained that as the concessionaire of Terminal A, the conveyor belt in question has not been working for about 6 to 7 years, and should be removed. We are the one NPA gave the terminal on lease.”

In his response, the MD of Honeywell Flour Mills, Lanre Jaiyeola explained that the conveyor belt was deactivated by the firm after purchase from another company in preparation for future use. JPS has no power to demand the removal of the conveyor belt since there is an agreement between the milling firm and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).”

Honeywell Flour Mills operates its conveyor belt on z space located inside Terminal A which was concessioned to JPS in 2006 as part of the port reform of the Federal Government.