The Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) has advocated for the automation of the various terminals in the nation’s seaports to guarantee a stress free clearing process.
The Vice President of the association, Chief Kris Keme who stated this while contributing at the stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday said that effort should be made towards management of AP Moller Terminal to automate its gate as well as the process of issuing the Terminal Delivery Order (TDO).
Keme also called for the establishment of a truck terminal capable of warehousing about 15,000 trucks with the basic amenities to make it user friendly thus ensuring that no truck was seen parking along the road to the various seaports.
According to him,” so, whenever we are talking here, if we do not address the issue of APMT making automation on the gate making sure even the TDO we are talking about, the TDO should be in the smart card form, the TDO should be online”.
“We should have a truck terminal where no truck will be on the road, all the trucks will be at the terminal and in that truck terminal, we have a mechanic workshop, we have a bank, we have a cafeteria, we have everything that will contain about 15,000 trucks, there is no need for any truck to be on the road”.
“Then by the time the TDO is ready, it is automated to go to the truck terminal, the freight agent will now meet the truck contractors, then give the smart card to him, just no truck will be on the road until you get to the port”.
He added that with the aid of the smart card, the trucker would gain access into the terminal since the smart card would give the details of the container the truck was carrying as well as the location of the container which would enable the driver to locate the container and load within five minutes and leave the port.
The SALS chieftain also suggested that before the TDO would be issued by smart card, everything including the CIU would have been cleared so that the idea of clearing goods without taking delivery would no longer obtained.
“And except the APMT does that and the shipping companies have a holding bay, there is nothing and then the government will be encouraged to construct the roads, no truck should be on the road at all except you have something to do in the port”, he said.
Responding, the representative of APMT, Mr. Daniel Odibe described the suggestions as very noble but not without foreseeing some limitations that are beyond the terminal.
Odibe however noted that the issue of Truck Park and a booking system which would control truck traffic into the port had been a recurring issues in almost every stakeholders’ meetings adding that they were being worked on.
He stated,” APMT is supporting it, it is being championed by the truckers’ association led by Chief Ogungbemi. So, it is currently on and we all support the idea”.
On the issue of detention, he added,” I am happy the CAC has clarified on the necessary signatories to that effect and what they actually raised is the communication whereby they are aware that their containers are on hold before sending in their trucks. I think we can play a role here”.
“So, when we receive detention letters from customs, we can communicate to the agents via the phone numbers on the letter of authority. We can commit to that”.
