Checks by the Nigerian Tribune have revealed that due to a slump in barge operations at the nation’s busiest port, Apapa Port, many barge operators may lay off workers or downsize their businesses as many barges are lying idle, doing nothing.
Lamenting over the decline in barge operations at Apapa Port container terminal, APM Terminals, President of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN), Bunmi Olumekun, revealed that currently, APM Terminals has no berthing space for barges.
According to Olumekun in an exclusive chat with the Nigerian Tribune, “We recently met with the management of APM Terminals to discuss barge operations at the Apapa Port, which is currently very low.
“Our members have been complaining that they have not been seeing enough patronage from APM Terminals as regards barging activities. We can evacuate up to 4,000 containers daily if provided with a dedicated berthing space, but as we speak, APM Terminals has no dedicated berthing space for barge operations.
“The barging patronage at APM Terminals is very low, and that was why we had to meet with them recently. We discussed improving the barging operations at APM Terminals.
“We need a dedicated berth from barges at APM Terminals so that we will not be kicked out when a bigger or mother vessel arrives. If we have a dedicated berth at APM Terminals, barge operators can call at the port anytime, load and leave the port.
“However, APM Terminals asked us to give them time to create a berth for us. They told us that congestion at the port corridors has slowed container evacuation, causing a backlog of vessels waiting to berth. They reiterated that while they have limited berthing space for vessels, they will consider BOAN once port congestion improves.
“Also, concerns about the cost disparity between barge handling charges for import and export containers were also raised at the meeting with APM Terminals. We argued that export charges are significantly higher than imports, which negatively impacts competition. APM Terminals commercial team agreed to escalate this issue to their management for review.
“They however explained that barge operations incur higher costs than other logistics modes due to the use of specialized equipment such as 450-ton cranes.
“We then rescheduled a follow-up meeting for April 15, 2025. By then, APM Terminals said that they expect improvements as regards the congestion issue and will assess whether BOAN’s concerns can be addressed.”
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