Importers and investors who use the Rivers and Onne Ports in Rivers State have raised the alarm over the loss of their investments and perishable consignments as a result of the arrest of port workers and closure of the ports by the Rivers State COVID-19 Task Force team who are acting on the orders of Governor Nyesom Wike.
The governor, who recently imposed a 24-hour lockdown on Port Harcourt and Obi Akpor local government areas over the COVID-19 pandemic, refused to place port workers under essential services providers. This is contrary to the guidelines of the presidential task force of COVID-19 which classified port operations as essential services.
The Federal Government had said despite the lockdown, ports should remain open to trade so as to facilitate importation and delivery of essential goods, such as foods and medical supplies.
But in the last one week, many port workers, including staffers of the regulatory Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), terminal operators, shipping agents and dockworkers have been arrested, with vehicles conveying them to work impounded.
Speaking with maritime journalists over the situation late on Tuesday, Managing Director of Africa Atlantic International Agencies, Mr. Daniel Kalu lamented that the vessel transporting his company’s consignment of 4,500 metric tons of frozen mackerel fish worth millions of Euros have been unable to berth at the Rivers Port for about two weeks, a situation which he said could make his company lose the entire consignment.
According to Daniel Kalu, “Even if we get the consignment out now, we already would have lost half of our investment because the fish would have lost quality and we won’t be able to sell at the standard price.
“That is not to speak of the demurrage that we must pay to ship owners for keeping their vessels longer than expected. We pay a demurrage of 7800 US dollars per day.”
The Africa Atlantic International Boss added that the same vessel had called at the Lagos ports earlier and discharged cargo before heading into Port Harcourt port where activities are on standstill
Another consignee, Olufemi MacJulius of Fejudam Shipping Services, said the vessel carrying his bulk cargo of wheat is waiting at neighbouring Bonny because it cannot approach Port Harcourt as a result of the lockdown.
In the words of MacJulius, “We pay a demurrage of $15,000 every day because the vessel carrying our bulk cargo is not able to berth as a result of the fact that port workers, including pilots and stevedores cannot come to work out of fear of arrest and detention, if not prosecution by the Rivers state government.
“Also, a vessel laden with a consignment of Muriate of Potash( ( blended with urea and other compounds to make fertilizer)) is unable to berth at the Onne Ports as a result of the same situation.
“The inability to discharge this consignment may affect planting this year, given that the rains are already here.”
The port users expressed worry that apart from the loses that investors in perishable goods like frozen fish and wheat for food processing will incur from the closure of the ports, the situation will affect the food supply chain in the south-south and south-east regions of the country as well as the image of Nigeria in the international maritime community.
It would be recalled that the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) had threatened a nationwide protest over arrest of 20 dockworkers in Rivers state.
The association had said being essential services providers, the dock workers ought to be allowed to work at all seaports in the country, especially as most seaports are under the ownership and control of the Federal Government.
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