The Nigerian Ports Authority announced last week that it would encourage the use of barges in future for the evacuation of cargoes from the country’s ports to the hinterland.
NPA managing director Hadiza Bala Usman noted that this would help to reduce pressure on port access roads and ease congestion.
This follows a directive issued by the authority in November last year requiring shipping companies to house empty trucks at holding bays outside the Apapa port area pending vessel loading as well as the creation of a new traffic management/enforcement team aimed at addressing the crippling congestion on the port roads.
Earlier this month, the NPA received its first shipment by barge, a consignment of manganese ore for export.
“[The] NPA is ready to partner with any agency or company that will give pride of place to intermodal transport as the continuous reliance on our road is no longer feasible and should be discouraged,” Usman said during a ceremony celebrating the successful delivery of the manganese shipment.
She noted that the use of barges to ferry containers would help to extend the life of roads surrounding Nigeria’s ports.
