There are fresh indications that port
concessionaires; Lillypond Container Terminal Limited, which had announced intention of closing down its operations as a result of
protracted losses, may have
had a rethink, as shipping giant; Maesk Line in
collaboration with other shipping lines has resumed stemming of containers to
the terminal.
Shipping Position Daily
investigations revealed that Maersk Line, as well as Pacific International
Lines (PIL) were among
the shipping companies that have been
keeping hope going for operators at the terminal by stemming enough containers
to the terminal to boost its operations.
Speaking with our correspondent at the
terminal in Ijora Lagos yesterday, a member of the Presidential Task Force of
the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Mr. Emeka Chidiaka
confirmed that at a stakeholders meeting held with the terminal operator, a
decision was taken to keep activities going at the terminal.
Chidiaka said that the Maersk Line and PIL shipping companies were among those that have vowed to keep the terminal going, and that activities are currently on the upswing at the terminal.
Speaking further, he said: “The
announcement came to us as a surprise because when we started here we were
promised that this place will be full of activities, but
suddenly the idea came that they are not making more profit and that they want
to close up the terminal”.
“We began to write letters and made consultations
on why here should be closed and we were made to understand that they were not
making profit, but recently they have come up with a new shipping company who
has promised to keep her busy, and if you look around the terminal you will see
that it is busy for now and they promised to keep it busy”, he disclosed.
“Going by the last meeting we held, I don’t see here closing down and that is the latest information, PIL is feeding the terminal with containers, Maersk Line is also sending containers here, mostly perishable
items” he confirmed.
Chidiaka further reiterated that
activities at the terminal are improving every month, but that
it has returned to how it used to be. “But we are not expecting them to
close down the terminal, if this happens it will be a surprise because the last
time we talked they promised to keep here working, but we are still working to
see how it goes” he added.
Also confirming the situation to Shipping Position Daily, Public
Relations Officer of the Lillypond Command of the Nigeria Custom Service,
Charles Agomuo said that, even though the terminal operator had not taken other
stakeholders into consideration before going forward to announce its pulling
out, operations have been revived at the terminal.
Agomuo confirmed to our correspondent
yesterday that vessels and containers are now being stemmed to the terminal in
other to keep it bubbling with activities.
“Lillypond is an area command, the
decision to create the command was done by the board of Custom
service, the issue of closing it before was an issue raised by the terminal
operator without taking into cognizance the area command, but we have put that
issue behind us and Lillypond is now moving forward”, he confirmed.
“We now have vessels being stemmed to
Lillypond as many as we can accommodate, so there is no limitation” he stated.
Speaking on the N5billion revenue
target of the command, Agomuo confirmed that the commands’ revenue profile is
gradually picking up. http://shippingposition.com.ng/article/maersk-line-others-rescues-lillypond-terminal-back-life
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