Managing Director, Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, John Jenkins.

Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, a subsidiary of SIFAX Group and terminal operator in charge of Terminal C, Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, recorded a six per cent growth in cargo volumes in 2020. The company has also projected to handle 300,000 Twenty Equivalent Units TEUs of cargo for its 2021 business year.

Managing Director of the company, John Jenkins, who made this disclosure, said the target, though ambitious, is achievable in view of its impressive 2020 performance, despite the myriads of challenges that the maritime industry faced in the previous year.

Available records show that the terminal recorded an increase of 12,153 TEUs in the review period to cap at 242,195 TEUs in 2020, compared to the figure of 230,042 TEUs handled in 2019. Details of the statistics show that the full import figure rose from 109,367 TEUs in 2019 to 122,243 TEUs while the export of empty containers also witnessed an increase from 94,041 TEUs in 2019 to 96, 605 TEUs in 2020. It however, recorded a decline in its full export as it saw a drop from the 2019 figure of 26,634 TEUs to 23,347, a difference of 3,287 TEUs.

According to him, despite the harsh business terrain occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, terrible state of the port access roads and some other hurdles, the terminal still recorded this impressive performance. He however attributed the feat to proactive business strategy, committed members of staff, supportive leadership and loyal clients.

Jenkins further explained that in order to boost the terminal’s efficiency, barge operation was given utmost priority with the creation of two dedicated points at the quayside where the barges load and offload with dedicated cranes. He noted that the barge operation has helped in the decongestion of the terminal.

 “We now achieve a minimum of 8,000 TEUs for our barge operations monthly. This has greatly improved the terminal’s business offerings and brought great relief to our customers who have had to endure the biting consequence of port congestion primarily caused by poor access roads and the ongoing road construction”, he said.

With all the strategies and modern equipment put in place at the terminal, Jenkins said the company would meet the target of 300,000 TEUs set for itself in 2021.

Speaking on the terminal’s performance, the Executive Director, SIFAX Group, Mr. Bode Ojeniyi, expressed his confidence at the company’s surpassing the 2021 projections.

Ojeniyi said with the impending launch of its e-payment and e-billing platforms as well as the huge investment in the acquisition of more technological infrastructure, the terminal is well positioned to deliver an efficient service that will meet the customers’ expectations.