APMT doubles capacity at Apapa

Following the successful privatisation of port operations in 2006, the country’s port facilities have seen unprecedented investment and expansion, with the Apapa Container Terminal’s vessel calls growing by 30%. Michael Lund Hansen, managing director of APM Terminals Apapa Ltd, said: “In the past two years, we have seen tremendous improvement and growth in Nigeria’s port infrastructure. The results of this investment are tangible and have continued to bring benefit to Nigeria as international trade continues to increase.”

Another notable trend has been the increase in gearless liner vessels calling at the Port, demonstrating new confidence in its port operations, gantry crane performance and overall schedule reliability, rather than having to rely on smaller, self-contained ‘geared’ vessels that use their own cranes for loading and unloading. As a result, vessel operators are experiencing faster port calls, better schedule performance, higher productivity and lower operating costs.

Improved productivity has enabled APM Terminals Apapa to eliminate container vessel waiting times, resulting in shipping lines ending congestion surcharges. This is estimated to have saved the Nigerian economy some US$200m per year since APMT took over the facility.