Importers, exporters incur losses as TICT rejects CMA-CGM exports, empties

Importers and exporters in Lagos are currently incurring losses due to the refusal of the Tin-Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) to henceforth accept gate-in for exports containers and empty containers belonging to leading French shipping line, CMA-CGM, findings by the Nigerian Tribune has revealed.

In June 2023, CMA-CGM pulled out its Europe-Africa-4-Services (Euraf4) vessel call from TICT to Lekki Deep seaport.

Findings have further revealed that, in probably a retaliatory move, TICT stopped receiving empty containers and export containers from CMA-CGM since Tuesday last week.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that CMA-CGM, in a mail to its customers, informed them of the development and advised that all empty containers and export containers should henceforth be taken to nearby port terminals except TICT.

According to the email correspondence, which was shown to the Nigerian Tribune by one of the affected importers, Mr Chude Nwankwo, the CMA-CGM stated that TICT stopped accepting its empties and exports because it stopped its vessel call at the Tin-Can container terminal since last year.

“Following the stoppage of our vessel service at Tin-Can Island Container Terminal (TICT), please be informed that TICT will no longer allow gate-in of CMA CGM empty and export containers.

“Kindly use other designated depots available for your empty container returns and export such as Ports and Cargo, Lekki Free-Port Terminal Lekki (LFT) and APM Terminals Apapa (APMT).

“For further details, contact customer service at customer service or sales at sales. Thank you for your cooperation and continued support,” the CMA-CGM correspondence to exporters and importers stated.

Speaking on the development, Nwankwo said, “Not everybody got the mail from CMA-CGM that export and empty containers shouldn’t be brought to TICT anymore. There were some empty CMA-CGM containers that were already on their way to TICT, only for them to get there and be told that the terminal won’t be allowing gate-in for such empties.

“Imagine the time wasted transporting those empties to TICT and the time spent driving to nearby terminals like Ports & Cargo Handling Services or APM Terminals in Apapa? This time wasted have impacts on the container deposits fees paid on these empty containers. The cargo owners are losing container deposits funds in the midst of this confusion because not everybody got the CMA-CGM mail or are even aware of it.

“Many export cargoes belonging to CMA-CGM are trapped along the ports access road on their way to TICT even when the terminal won’t accept them in because many exporters have already booked their CMA-CGM exports for TICT only to be told that they should go elsewhere.

“Port & Cargo Handling Service is the only available option due to proximity to TICT, but the queue is much. APM Terminals is a further distance. For some of us that are already on the port access road leading to Tin-Can Island Port, Lekki Port is out of it. It is a confusing state because container deposits see are getting eroded.”

Efforts to get TICT Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Etienne Rocher, to speak on the matter proved abortive as calls and messages sent to his mobile number were not responded to as of the time of filing in this report.