Overtime cargoes flood WACT, threatens port operations

Findings have revealed that the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) is currently over-flooded with containers deliberately left un-cleared by clearing agents and freight forwarders over unknown reasons, thereby threatening port operations at the Onne based port facility.

This is even as the WACT Management have had to convert car parks and examination bays to store containers that have littered the facility in recent months.

• We are in Rivers State on solidarity visit ― Tambuwal

Disclosing this during a recent quarterly stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Port Manager for Rivers State, Engineer Yunusa Ibrahim appealed to different clearing agents to go and clear their containers because WACT is currently running out of space.

According to Engr. Yunusa Ibrahim, “the management of WACT has written to us, complaining that agents have not been coming to pick their containers. Less than 30percent of agents have been coming to clear their containers at the facility, thereby over-flooding the facility with overtime containers.

“Due to this situation, the WACT management has been forced to convert their car parks and container examination bay to storage of overtime containers. The WACT management said they had to go to this length just to make sure vessels are not diverted away from the facility.

“The WACT facility has been filled up. There are currently about 1,500 containers that have been examined but have still not been taken out of the terminal. There are a lot of overtime containers in the facility, taken up close to 90percent of space inside the facility.

“I have spoken to the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN), I have spoken to the Nigerian Customs Service about the situation at WACT. It’s important we realize the 48hours cargo clearance target of the Federal Government at our ports.”