We Have Four Holding Bays Within Lagos – MSC Clarifies

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in Nigeria has stated that the liner has a total of eight holding bays in Nigeria with four of those facilities within Lagos and its environs .

Managing Director, Andrew Lyche disclosed this on Monday, during a working visit by management of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council led by its Executive Secretary, Barrister Hassan Bello .

Disclosing the facilities currently in use within Lagos and it’s environs , Lyche identified the locations to include : Amuwo Odofin, Ijora and Shagamu

The Managing Director explained that contrary to media reports of no existing holding bays, MSC has a capacity of 4,000 TEU ,situated at Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State which is a 4 -kilometer stretch to Tin Can Island Port.

“We also have holding bays with about 4,000 capacity and today we have also expanded that facility but the challenges again is if you have your containers in the holding bays how can you get them back to the port at the same rate the empty are coming as well?

“Because if can’t match your outbound and inbound then your holding bays will become full and that is not the pure essence of holding bays.

“We read a lot on the media that MSC doesn’t have holding bays but I will show you a power point presentation about our facilities.

“We have about eight holding bays in the country and at least four are significantly in use in this part of the country. We have the one of 4,000 containers in Amuwo Odofin, 1,200 close to Shagamu, 1,000 plus in SiFAX Ijora and smaller ones scattered all over the country.

“So we are using holding bays but the challenges include returning the boxes from the facilities back to the ports and is the same problem shipping companies have for imports and exports whether by barge or traffic”,he decried.

Lyche explained that MSC has been extensively involved in barge operations in the last 18months in Nigeria ports adding that Ports and Cargo Handling Services has been the main terminal where most the containers come through.

 

However, he added that aside Ports and Cargo, MSC vessels are berthed also at Five Stars Logistics Terminal and Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT).

According to him, a total of 9000 containers are shipped through barges to the terminals on a monthly basis but lamented that high volume of such boxes did not help in the resolving this traffic challenges along the port corridors.

 

The MD noted that some of the containers laden through barges are stock at the quayside due to the congestion at the terminals adding that some of the boxes are preferred taken from the roads instead of the barges.

He lamented that the high cost of haulage charges by transporters have also contributed negatively to the evacuation of empty containers in recent time pointing out that trucking costs have increased well about 200% against what was obtainable in 2018.

“Barging is important to the solution of congestion at the port but we need to also look at how the system can make an impact on how best to decongest the port and that is where the challenges are at the moment.

“We have our own in-house barging operations. We have a barge terminal dedicated to full export and empty containers as well as moving imports but the failed infrastructure has made it seems as if we don’t have those facilities”,he lamented.

The Executive Secretary of the council had earlier requested to know if the multinationals have such facilities in the country .

Stakeholders have accused MSC over issues bothering on holding bays.

 

By Roland Ekama