After years of uncertainty over the realisation of the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) also called dry ports, the project may take off this year, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has said.
Its Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Hassan Bello, told The Nation that the necessary legislations have been pushed and sent to the Presidency, adding that the Minister of Transport will soon declare the ICDs as ports of origin and destination.
According to Bello, the declaration means that cargo could be assigned to them from Liverpool in United Kingdom to Isiala Ngwa in Abia State or any other part of the country and the goods will be ferried to destination when they arrive at the seaport. He said two of these dry ports to be established, will become operational this year.
He noted that the coming of ICDs, will save the country some primitive ways of doing business in the maritime sector as shippers need not be present to have their good delivered.
Bello also explained that presence at the ports connotes underdevelopment and also means cash transaction, which defiles the system and supports corruption.
According to him, ICDs will reduce cost, provide important linkages in the economy, ensure integration in West Africa, cure the infrastructure deficit, boost employment and reduce poverty, adding that the dry ports will have positive effect on the economy.
He said: “Dry ports are the integral part of the economic drive to see that shipping is brought to the doorsteps of the people. The implication of this is that congestion will be eliminated. There will be no need to use the ports as storage for cargo or for cargo examination. Immediately the cargoes arrive, they will be taken to these inland ports. “Besides, most of the shippers are actually inland where these activities should be driven, Customs duties paid for export. So it is a two-way thing, instead of us having empty containers, we will have laden containers in and out. “The implementation of dry ports was delayed because they were the first set of infrastructure to be developed based on public private partnership (PPP), so they suffered financial backing by banks but now, I’m happy to announce that they have been designated as ports of origin and ports of destination.”
, which means that cargo will be consigned from say Liverpool in United Kingdom to Isiala Ngwa in Abia State and the goods will be transported to Isiala Ngwa when they arrive at the seaport. “Therefore a shipper doesn’t need to come to the seaport in Lagos or Port Harcourt or Calabar in Cross River State to collect his goods. The ports are there, we have pushed through some legislation, and it has been sent to the President. The Minister will soon declare these ports as ports of origin and ports of destination so cargo could be assigned to them and we are going to have one or two of these operational and they will have positive effect on the economy and the way things are done. They will cure congestion at the ports and they will also provide areas for consolidation for export.”
