Shippers Council maps reforms in port transactions

The Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) has mapped out reforms to streamline transactions in port.
This is a view to making the Nigeria port competitive and users friendly to attract investment and boost the economy.
The Executive Secretary of the council, Mr Hassan Bello, noted that without a port competitive regime, it would be difficult to attract more investment to the sector.
Bello, said on Monday in Lagos that transactions in the nation’s port were being slowed down by controllable uncertainties.
He said the operators and the users must acknowledge the exigency of time in the industry, if we must get it right as a people like other maritime nations.
He added that no business man would want to put his money in a sector characterised by uncertainties, hence the need to prone the port to market acceptable standard.
“We are working on a trucking template that will enlist some trucking companies with a fleet of at least six to work and transport cargoes to and from the ports.
“There are also truck transit parks coming in to close the existing lacuna in the logistics chain that has made trucks litre the wharf roads thereby causing traffic.
“We want to create a situation where shippers need not come to the ports before their goods are cleared and taken to them.
‘’Though most of the strategies are private sector driven but they are going to be working under the supervision of the council in order to achieve the desired goals,’’ he said.
He explained that an electronic call up system would be used to call trucks from the parks to load or drop off containers in the port.
This, he said, may take off by Jan. 2019, and would end traffic gridlock on the Apapa area.
‘’To achieve that, the council is working in partnership with other sister agencies concerned in port operations, and called on users to support it by operating within stipulated regulations.”