To avert congestion at the apron of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, air cargo freighters have been asked to patronise other airports. Re-routing of cargoes to other airports and subsequent expansion of the facility will reduce activities at the terminal, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR, reports.
Unclearedcargoes at the Murtala Muhammed cargo apron, have left the section of the airport congested. The result is that the tarmac can no longer accommodate large cargo aircraft on account of limited space.
Until the uncleared cargoes are removed from both the tarmac and apron, the area will remain a no-go-area for big cargo aircraft, including Boeing 747 and Boeing 767.
The reason for the pillage of air freight during the temporary closure of the cargo terminal is due to the clash between Licensed Customs Agents and officials of the Lagos Airport Command of the Nigerian Customs Service over operational procedures.
The clash was heightened as neither the agents, nor Customs officials were ready to shift grounds over clearing procedures at the cargo-shed, which bordered on safety and security at the facility.
While the closure was on, in-bound cargoes continued to arrive at the terminal without any clearance, leading to the congestion at the apron that was already over stretched.
The terminal was reopened in the first week of December. After the reopening came fresh concerns on how the cargoes would be cleared loomed.
Importers have continued to route their imports through the airport, which has added to the congestion at the apron.
Some clearing agents and freight forwarders, however, have raised alarm over pilferage of unclaimed cargoes at the terminal.
Chairman of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAF), Mr Segun Musa, has cautioned that further disruption in operation at the terminal could further worsen the situation, adding that the security and safety of cargoes could not be guaranteed.
He said storage facilities at the terminal, including the apron are inadequate, as a result, theft and pilferage are now a commom occurence.
Since the cargo terminal was reopened, heaps of cargoes have remained unclaimed as a result of payment of demurrage on the affected cargoes.
Clearing agents, as well as ground handling companies and importers, are yet to agree on the payment of demurrage on cargoes on the ground while the closure lasted.
Importers have vowed not to pay the demurrage as the closure was not caused by them. Discussions, it was learnt, are on going on how to resolve the impasse.
To avoid confusion at the cargo terminal, the government, two weeks ago, advised operators of all cargo flights to find alternative entry points for their cargoes.
The General Manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Yakubu Dati, said the authority is constrained to suspend cargo flights into the Lagos Airport.
FAAN, he said, has advised the Nigerian Airspace Manager Agency to issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to this effect.
“This has become imperative due to the congestion created by the backlog of cargoes following the two-week closure of the terminal by the Nigerian Customs Service,” he said, adding that the authority has initiated measures to accelerate the clearance of these goods and return the situation to normal.
He urged airlines and importers to use alternative airports, explaining that the authority is constrained to take this measure for the time being for the safety and security of all concerned.
The acting Managing Director of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc, Norbert Bielderman, has assured that the congestion would soon be resolved.
He said the congestion was not anticipated as all stakeholders are working hard to ensure that the matter is resolved.
Clearance of goods at the cargo terminal is ongoing and should end by the first week of January.
He said everything is under control and work is progressing at full blast. “All hands are on deck to ensure that the backlog is cleared. Currently we have cleared approximately 60 per cent. We are hopeful that the situation will be back to normal by the end of the first week of 2015. We currently do 24 hours decongestion on the tarmac, which has yielded positive result,” he stated.
Bielderman said the seven days-a-week work strategy, adopted by the company, has gone a long way in reducing the volume of cargo on the tarmac.
“By joint agreement between the terminal operators, clearing agents and Customs, it was decided that work will continue despite the holidays to address the challenge,” he said, pointing out that this will enable all concerned to seek new ways and measures to address the problem of cargo congestion. This position was agreed between all stakeholders in cargo clearing business, he said.
Bielderman explained that because of the nature of the task at hand, the senior management team would be on ground during the holidays and would continue to work until the situation gets back to normal.
He said: “Due to the situation in cargo, I will not be going on leave. My senior management team and myself will be on ground during this holiday season until the situation is back to normal in cargo.”
He praised the working relationship with stakeholders, saying that everyone is doing great to ensure the situation is contained, particularly Customs and clearing agents’ leadership. He appealed to importers for their understanding during this period, even as he promised that Nahco Aviance is doing everything possible to ensure that their shipments are delivered safely without further delay.
“We truly never envisaged this situation. However, all necessary mechanisms have been put in place to guard against a repeat of this ugly incident,” he re-assured.
Meanwhile, foreign airlines operating in Nigeria have canvassed expansion of the cargo apron at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
The airlines are worried that the limited size of the cargo apron is affecting their operations into Nigeria, as the capacity of the apron does not match the scale of operations.
The president of Association of Foreign Airlines Representatives in Nigeria ( AFARN ) Mr Kingsley Nwokoma said the cargo apron of the Lagos Airport is long overdue after decades of its construction .
He said the expansion of the apron will assist to reduce cargo congestion at the terminal.
NAGAF, Murtala Muhammed Airport chapter has raised alarm over possibility of tampering with the cargo at the airport as discharged cargo flown in by foreign airlines litter the apron.
The Chairman of the Lagos Airport chapter of the association, Mr Segun Musa, said discharged cargo at the airport apart from being tampered with could be damaged by rain as there is inadequate cover under the shed for discharged cargo.
He said if ground handling companies have state-of-the-art equipment, it could facilitate speedy clearance of cargo at the terminal.
Musa said the use of technology could hasten the clearance of cargo at the terminal, by reducing the use of manual procedures.
Also speaking in an interview the chairman of PrimePorts, a freight forwarding and logistics firm, Mr Femi Adewunmi, has advised government to address infrastructure challenges at some international airports to reduce the traffic of cargo into the Lagos Airport.
He cited the Port Harcourt International Airport as one of the airports to benefit from such facility upgrade.
He said the congestion of cargo at the apron of the Lagos Airport could be addressed if other international airports are developed to handle high volumes of air freight.
He cited the Port Harcourt International Airport as one of the airports to be developed into a cargo hub.
Adewunmi said: “If the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Rivers State is to develop into a cargo hub for the Southsouth region, the Federal Government should urge relevant aeronautical and other agencies to harmonise operational charges and tariffs, improve on infrastructure as well address gaps in procurement movements.”
The logistics, freight and clearing operator said until government puts in place incentives to drive cargo volume into the Port Harcourt International Airport, operators would continue to suffer congestion challenges at the Lagos Airport.
He said most of the cargo meant for Port Harcourt are flown into Lagos , only to be moved by road.
He said: “If government puts in place adequate facilities, such cargo by air would be flown directly to Port Harcourt thereby reducing congestion at the Lagos Airport.
When the Lagos Airport cargo terminal was shut down, many importers suffered losses.
If cargo by air were made attractive through other airports, the congestion that operators now suffer would be a thing of the past.
Now that government has directed suspension of cargo flown into Lagos Airport, it is now clear to all that other airports have to be developed.
We need to put in place deliberate policy to drive cargo development in other airports.
The Port Harcourt market in terms of air cargo is worth several billions of dollars.
