Leading seaport terminal operator and international management team of APMT, Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to the leadership of the Nigerian Shipper’s Council (NSC) at its Apapa head office.
Business Hilights recalls that APM Terminals is a port operating company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. A unit of Danish shipping company Maersk’s Transport and Logistics division, it manages terminals and provides integrated cargo and inland services.
Here in Nigeria it manages Apapa Port, Onne Port and Kano Inland Dry Port.
Welcoming the port operators, the Executive Secretary (ES) of the Council, Hon. Emmanuel Jime said the doors of NSC are always open for maritime investors especially when issues relating to regulation and investments are on the table.
The ES, represented by the Director, Regulatory Services, Ms. Ifeoma Ezedima, took time to explain critical regulatory issues and processes concerning terminal operations including the major roles of the Council and the corresponding parts to be played by terminal operators for the growth of the nation’s seaport activities.
She made it clear that the Council is very much interested in seeing reduction in cargo dwell time, improvement in vessel time at berth, early delivery of standard gauge rail linkage to the port, giving priority to processing of export cargo and most importantly, completion of registration process with the Council.
Continuing, she advised the visitors to always call on the Council whenever they have regulatory issues for seamless sort-out to avoid undue wastages in the line of operations.
Responding, the visiting APMT executives lead by the Vice President, Africa and Europe Operations, Mr. Igor Van Deu Essev, said his team is very happy to visit Nigerian Shippers Council to have one-on-one industry-related discussion.
Continuing, he revealed that at Onne Port, in Rivers State where the company also has terminal activities, they are investing well over $150m in infrastructure, ICT and capacity expansion to deepen the growth of the port and its contribution to the economy.
He revealed that apart from ongoing investments in Onne, the company is also upgrading its facilities in Apapa to global best practices considering its global background in the terminal business.
He therefore called for more collaboration and meetings from time to time in order to deepen industrial harmony with the sector.
