TIN CAN PORT CONGESTION: Truck Owners Smiling To Banks, As Haulage Charges Reach N1m Within Lagos

Following the lingering traffic situation within Tin Can Island Ports Complex (TCIPC) leading to congestion, truck owners are currently smiling to their various banks as haulage charges have reached an all time high of #700,000 and #1million for 40″container.

 

Freight agents and importers have expressed worries over the sudden 200% hike in haulage charges on consignment at Tin Can Island Port to other parts of  Lagos state.

 

Recall that the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA last week suspended stripping activities with the port access road to allow free flow of vehicles exiting the terminals, a situation that might have been responsible for the sudden hike in transport charges from TCIPC.

 

While the truckers are attributing the hike to the current congestion at the seaports, agents described their actions as sabotage to the growth of the nation’s economic.

 

Finding also revealed that haulage charges from the port to Amuwo Odofin and environs now cost N700,000 in the last one week as against the previous  N150,000.

 

The new freight rate has also torn  freight agents and shippers apart over issues bothering on distrust.

 

Checks confirmed that from Port and Cargo terminal to the former canteen by that roundabout as at last week was N680,000 to N700,000 for  1x 40ft container.

 

While from the  port down to Mile 2 towards festac town and monkey village goes for a whooping #1million .

 

According to an freight agent simply identified himself as Victor Okanigbuan said:”It is so pathetic that NPA is now blaming the current situation on outside stripping of containers .

 

 

“The major problem is Port and Cargo terminal operator that  is not accepting empty container.

 

“Like seriously  at expense of the importers and their agents the transporters are smiling to the banks this period.

 

“I can also confirm to you that all is not well  between me and my importer because we have been  quarrelling over this sudden hike. I got a truck to load me N320,000 and he was insisting that he only have N200,000 just from APMT to Apapa road , meanwhile TDO expired where we were having arguement before I loaded at that same price #320 as at last week now ,it has  gone up to N700 to 1million.

 

Spokesman of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA,. Mr. Emmanuel Onyeme during a chat with newsmen recently lamented that the transporters are taking the advantage of the peak season of cargo importation into the seaport in Nigeria and the lingering traffic situation along the port

access road at TCIPC.

 

Onyeme lamented that freight charges from Johannesburg in South Africa to Lagos Port, Nigeria  is what the transporters are currently demanding from importers and shippers, calling on government to address the situation before it leads to another crisis at the port.

 

Meanwhile, a truck driver (name withheld) who spoke to our correspondent last week, maintained that the state of the roads , ongoing construction and congestion at the port contributed to the hike.

 

During the peak of the COVID19 pandemic, earlier in the year, the Nigerian Shippers’Council intervened by appealing to truck owners to slash their charges in order to address issues of looming congestion at the ports.