Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Sea Freighters Limited, Sir (Dr.) Enoch Iwueze, has drummed support for the nation’s seaports located at the eastern part of the country.
While decrying the over concentration of shipping activities in the Lagos seaports, he called for the implementation of policies and programmes that would enhance operations in Eastern ports. He enjoined stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy to give “their unalloyed support” in the measures put in place by the Federal Government to make shipping operation in Eastern ports better than its present level.
According to him, efforts by the Federal Government to ease the congestion in Lagos ports should be sustained in the months ahead. He said it does not make any economic sense that the Eastern ports are virtually idle while the ones in Lagos are congested, bringing pain, sorrow and unnecessary additional costs to port users and others in the cargo clearance chain.
Iwueze,who is also a chieftain of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), spoke on the heels of the recent berthing of the largest container ship to ever visit Nigeria at Onne Port Complex, Rivers State.
“This feat attained by Maersk Line in collaboration with NPA will go a long way to encourage other shipping lines, which have been skeptical of draught limitations to schedule their larger and bigger vessels to Onne Port. It will equally reduce the volume, rate and transshipment containers hitherto being brought by feeder vessels from other neighbouring countries.
“Maersk Line is presently a foremost shipping line operating in Nigeria and indeed the West African region and it has brought a lot of innovative ideas in documentation both in invoicing, payments and cargo releasing processes. I commend the global management and local staff of Maersk Line for their dedication to duty and hope they will maintain and improve on their current trend.”