Vessels Traffic To Nigerian Seaports Have Dropped……..NPA Officials

Officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Friday, a sharp drop of vessels traffic into the nation’s seaports due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

The Officials of the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC) and Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC), NPA disclosed this in a chat.

Port Manager, Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC), NPA , Alhaji Umar Abubakar Garba stated this while fielding questions from journalists .

Umar noted that globally, the Coronavirus pandemic has dealt a big blow on shipping business and that the drop in cargoes was not peculiar to Nigerian ports alone.

He explained that vessels are still coming to the ports on daily basis, but that it is not as it used to be.

“It is not just at Tin Can, shipping is an international business.

“it is true that there has been a reduction in ship traffic, even though ships are still coming on daily basis, but when you look at it even internationally, the traffic has reduced and it is because of this COVID-19 pandemic, so it is not just about Tin Can Port alone, on daily basis vessels come, but the cargoes have reduced.

“We cannot get cargo without linking it to the human beings doing the trading, people are not travelling, so the goods are limited, vessels are coming but the cargoes have dropped” he said.

Umar assured that there is a control of the Coronavirus pandemic at the port as every port user temperatures are being observed before allowing them into port premises.

According to him “The port health are trained officials, the people coming to take delivery of their cargoes do not stay at the port, so someone that just came to pick their containers and go, you cannot call NCDC.

“Nobody is seen either lying down or showing these symptoms, it is not every sickness you call NCDC, the port health are on ground, and you should know that the port health is a major member of the NCDC team” he said

“You cannot call NCDC to come and seat down, it is when it is observed that someone has been sick that you call them to pick the person.

“From Mr President speech, the port health are asked to move and operate more inside the port, so, already, measures are being taken”.

“Because of the importance of this, officials from World Health Organisation (WHO) do come round the port for assessment, at a time, we also invited them here to do sensitisation for our workers, so we are not resting on our oars.

A top official from the LPC who prefer anonymity told our correspondent on Friday ,the drop in vessels traffic to Nigerian seaports can be attributed to the pandemic, adding that shipping business has been hit with COVID19.

“Surely vessel traffic is decreasing because of COVID-19.

“You know there is no much importation. Virtually all the companies abroad where import goods are procured have closed down.

“In addition major cities in Nigeria are lockdown and no business is thriving,”he added.

By Roland Ekama