By Godwin Oritse

IN a bid to enhance export trade, Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa, has extended its barge capacity to accommodate more volumes of non-oil exports.  

Speaking at  the second edition of its Exporters Forum held at the terminal on last week, in Lagos Chief Commercial Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi,emphasised the value of feedback from exporters and highlighted APM Terminals’ service improvements from the previous forum, including expanded barge slots, a new booking app, and enhanced rail services for smoother logistics.

The form drew representatives from shipping lines, barge operators, and key exporters.

“This forum is an opportunity to hear feedback from our customers to continue building products that will help the exporters grow their business and grow Nigeria exports in the future,” Adewuyi said.  

Courage Obadagbonyi, Chief Financial Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, highlighted the importance of non-oil exports in driving foreign exchange, job creation, and reducing inflation, particularly in light of fluctuating global oil prices saying that “APM Terminals Apapa is committed to advancing the Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts by promoting non-oil exports. As a result of our efforts in this regard, we have recorded a 25% increase of non-oil exports in throughput, handling 51,000 TEUs in the first half of 2024 compared to 47,000 TEUs in the same period of 2023.”

He stressed the need for further investments in transport infrastructure, streamlined export procedures, and higher-quality products to increase Nigeria’s non-oil export potential.

APM Terminals Apapa’s Head of Operations, Riyaz Melekolangath, said that an extended gate access and dedicated export lanes have been created to cut turnaround times for export containers.

Industry leaders who attended the Forum commended APM Terminals for its responsive export processes and focus on reducing carbon emissions through rail transport, positioning the terminal as a key player in Nigeria’s export growth. 
”What they are doing is to promote the heart of the business because export is sine qua non to the growth of a country. We need exports to balance our trade. We don’t want vessels coming and going without taking any cargo. We need to promote and enhance our capacity in export.  

President of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN), OlabunmiOlumekun, also said “APM Terminals have started taking our concerns into consideration, goods are now getting to the terminals on time and barging processes have become seamless.”

The Managing Director of Bueno Logistics Limited, Jetson Nwankwo, while commending APM Terminals for promoting the use of rail line for evacuation of cargo from the port, said, “It has been proven that the carbon emission of trains is less than the carbon emission of trucks. If you calculate it by using 10 dollars per pound of carbon, you will discover that APM Terminals can have an award of carbon credit that will be used to offset other expenses.

“If APM Terminals get some carbon credits, they can lower the rates they give on demurrage, storage or handling charges as the case may be.”

“Since its concession in 2006, APM Terminals has transformed the Apapa container terminal into a modern and efficient facility, increasing capacity from 200,000 TEU per annum to 1.2 million TEUs. The company has invested USD438 million (over N700 billion) in port infrastructure development, information technology upgrades, and modern cargo handling equipment.