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Tag: NPA

  • NPA breaks monopoly in oil and gas cargo 

    NPA breaks monopoly in oil and gas cargo 

    With the arrival of the Egina $3.3 billion Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel in Lagos, the Federal Government has broken the monopoly in that line of business, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman has said.

    Only one firm handles oil and gas vessel cargo at Onne, Warri and Calabar terminals.

    The giant oil and gas vessel arrived in Lagos, after 90 days voyage from Samsung Shipyard, Goeje in the Republic of South Korea.

    Speaking after the vessel berthed at the LADOL Integrated Free Logistics Zone in Lagos, Ms. Usman said it was a feat achieved by the government, NPA, other terminal operators and importers of oil and gas equipment.

    She said the choice of Lagos for the project, was a confirmation of the reason behind the government’s policy to liberalise oil and gas logistics operations to ensure competitiveness, efficiency and boost revenue.

    The Federal Government, she said, had fulfilled part of the subsisting contract it signed with the terminal operators through NPA and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

    The FPSO Egina, she said, had a length over aii ( LIA) OF 330 METERS, width of 63 METERS and a Gross Tonagd ( GT) of 219,800 tonnes and it is the first time the NPA and the country would be handling vessel of the size.

    The berthing of the giant vessel by the NPA, she said, was an attestation to the infrastructural and operational preparation of the NPA.

    NPA, she said, has put to rest the protest by some terminal operators over the purported designation of a terminal operator as the exclusive handler of oil and gas cargoes, which, she said, was against the port reforms carried out by the Federal Government in 2006.

    “The successful berthing of this huge vessel testifies to our capacity to provide improved services to the oil and gas industry.

    “We recognise that the magnitude of this project presented the NPA with the opportunity to, once again, showcase our unrelenting efforts at building capacity to meet the needs of customers across board, we are grateful for this unique partnership and look forward  to more of such.

    “This project put a demand on the NPA to facilitate the berthing of the FPSO Egina for the completion of its construction at Lagos Harbour. It also further the Federal Government’s local content policy with multiple effects evident in employment opportunities, capacity building, technological transfer, cost saving, reduction in capital flight as well as the attraction of oil and gas hub to Nigeria for the sub-region,” Ms.Usman said

    She said, the Federal Government,  will continue to ensure that all ports operations are modeled in line with global best practices which recognise only three classes – bulk, container and multipurpose cargo, saying this is the practice globally.

    Ms. Usman gave kudos to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government for initiating an impressive policy that empowered the authority to return to the three classes as it is done across the globe.

    She assured prospective local and foreign investors, operators, importers, shipping companies, clearing agents and other port users that the misnomer in the oil and gas designation which has been corrected by the Federal Government through the NPA to enthrone competitiveness and end the unwarranted monopoly would not be allowed to resurface again  in the country.

    “Our plan is to ensure a regulatory environment that promotes the maritime industry. We are looking at ensuring that there is competition; we know the problems confronting most of the terminals at the various ports, we feel the need for the government to ensure that local content for example is adhered to.

    “Businesses are coming into the country, we are doing our best to encourage them to ensure that the utilisations of their operations are domiciled in Nigeria, we also encourage operators to ensure that they have Nigerians within their ranks, employment for Nigerians is very important. We also believe that wherever enabling environment is required we will provide.

    “We believe in stakeholder’s consultation, we will continue to bring everyone to the table for us to seat down and ensure that there is need for us to work together. As an authority, we are going to lead and ensure that local content is provided. We will step beyond the things that we historically used to do so that whatever is required for the operators to work together for Nigeria to have the maximum benefit that it can attract for itself within this environment.

    “We are looking at making Nigeria the hub for West Africa; working to ensure that there is operational efficiencies and make effort to improve the ease of doing business and the competitiveness of our port operations; we will work with the operators and look at areas where there is overlapping among the operators and agencies within the Ministry of Transportation and ensure that we work together to ensure that there is synergy,” she said.

    Importers said the dominance of the nation’s oil and gas logistics business at the ports has ended with the arrival of the FPSO vessel in Lagos.

    One of the importers, Mr Kenneth Anderson, gave kudos o the Federal Government and the NPA for guaranteeing the right of importers to choose terminals or ports of their choice for the discharge of their cargo.

  • 33 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    33 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    Thirty three ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos from January 29 to February 19.

    The Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA ) stated this in its publication, `Shipping Position’, a copy of which was made available in Lagos on Monday.

    Read also: 42 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    It explained that seven of the expected 33 ships would sail in with petrol.

    NPA said that 26 other ships contain buck wheat, frozen fish, soya beans, rig, bulk fertiliser, bulk sugar, empty containers, diesel and containers laden with goods.

    The document indicated that six ships had arrived the ports waiting to berth with bulk fertiliser, containers, lubrication oil and petrol.

    NAN

  • Yam export: Committee plans export of 480 tonnes monthly

    Yam export: Committee plans export of 480 tonnes monthly

     The Technical Committee on Nigeria Yam Export Programme says it is targeting the export of about 480 tonnes of yams, equivalent to 20 containers, every month in 2018.

    Prof. Simon Irtwange, the Chairman of the committee, said in Abuja on Monday that the target would be achieved if all the challenges, which yam exporters experienced in 2017, were surmounted.

    Irtwange said the U.S. had made a request for the supply of five containers monthly, which amounted to 120 tonnes of yams.

    “If everything works out well, the U.S. authorities say they will need about five containers every month and one container contains 24 tonnes of yams.

    “We are trying to aggregate the demand from other countries; so by the time we put everything together, we should be thinking of exporting about 20 containers of yams on a monthly basis.

    “When you multiply 20 by 24, the total is 480 tonnes of yams.

    “We have a work plan and we have a lot of activities that we have already pencilled down.

    “We are working with relevant government agencies to provide the necessary support for the programme,’’ he said.

    Irtwange said the Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA ) had made available the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal to facilitate the packaging and movement of yams meant for export.

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    He said the committee was also working with the NPA to get people who would invest in constructing yam pack houses at the terminal.

    “The NPA has already given us the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal, where we can bring our yams and do all the packaging before moving them down to the ports.

    “That way, we will avoid the gridlock in Apapa because now, we are using batches to move the yams from Ikorodu to Apapa,’’ he added.

    On the challenges which yam exporters encountered in 2017, Irtwange said the committee had forwarded a report to the Federal Government on possible ways of tackling the perceptible hitches.

    “On the issue of transportation, we need cold trucks; we also need yam conditioning centres.

    “Presently, there is only one conditioning centre owned by the Nigeria Export Promotion Council in Zaki-Ibiam, Benue State, but that is not enough, we need more.

    “On the issues of packaging and production of cartons for the yams, we are also hoping to have local investors.

    “Right now, there are only two companies that can do this for us — an Indian company in Ibadan and a Chinese company in Lagos — and the problem is that in most cases, they don’t take orders for little quantities of cartons for production.

    “A container will take about 1,200 cartons and when you go to the companies for the production of 1,200 cartons, they will say it is too small.

    “We are also thinking that if there are people that can produce the cartons in small quantities, things will be okay. We want to get those who can produce small quantities of cartons for sale to yam exporters,’’ he added.

    NAN

  • 42 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    42 ships laden with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

    Forty two ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos from January 5 to Jan. 30.

    The Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA ) stated this in its publication, `Shipping Position’, a copy of which was made available to NAN in Lagos on Friday.

    NPA said that the ships contained buck wheat, frozen fish, bulk gas, bulk fertiliser, aviation fuel, bulk sugar, diesel, petrol and containers laden with goods.

    The document indicated that six ships had arrived the ports, waiting to berth with bulk  fertiliser, containers, aviation fuel and petrol.

  • NPA suspends operation of service boats to debtor companies

    NPA suspends operation of service boats to debtor companies

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has suspended service boats operations in all its pilotage districts until the full settlement of debts accruing from unpaid pilotage dues by IOCs and other beneficiaries of the services.

    The new measure is coming just as the organisation indicated that it might prevent Engina FPSO, which is due to arrive Nigeria in January, 2018 from accessing the Nigerian waterways.

    According to a statement signed by Abdullahi Goje, General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications at the NPA, the decision to stop the operation of service boats to debtor companies followed the failure or refusal of the affected companies to honour their obligations to the Authority in spite of several reminders over a couple of months.

    The statement explained that given the fact that the companies, some of whose indebtedness run into tens of millions of dollars over a period of two years ignored the advice given by the NPA, the Authority had no choice but to pursue the new course of action, which the statement said had been communicated to all companies concerned.

  • ICRC, NPA set to review port concession

    ICRC, NPA set to review port concession

    The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA,are doing an in-depth study on the best mechanism for the review of the 11 years old port concession.

    The Acting Director-General, ICRC, Chidi Izuwah, made this known in the latest publication of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) entitled: “The Shipper’’.

    Izuwah, according to  the News Agency of Nigeria, said  there might be cases where some concessionaires might not have fully recouped their investments, pointing out that the review will not be based on emotions or man-knows-man, but, “It will be based on pure data because anything that needs to be done under the ICRC will be approved by the Federal Executive Council.

    “So whatever the outcome of the review process, every Nigerian will know,’’ he  said, adding that the commission has developed a disclosure framework. “It is a portal where the key information of every concession contract in the country will be disclosed to the public,’’ Izuwah said.

    He made clear that every Nigerian would become an enforcer of concession and government agencies could be indirectly challenged, “if they are not living up to their responsibilities

    “We are doing everything so that Nigerians can be aware and informed that things are being done in a transparent manner. The port concession is doing very well. We might complain about the inadequacies, but let us look at what the ports were about 20 years ago in terms of demurrage.”

    Izuwah said the menace of wharf rats is gone for good. “Let us keep telling people that nobody hears about wharf rats any more. Wharf rats have been eliminated completely, because of port concession,’’ he said.

    On the Shippers’ Council project on Truck Transit Parks, he said there would be a bankable study to be done to establish the optimal location to position the parks, saying the Federal Government is also aware that port connectivity with the rail is very key.

    He said: “Look at what the Federal Government is doing about the Wharf – Apapa Road, the implementation may not be going as fast as it can because of funding, that is why we are working on the side to bring the private sector to help us.

    “So, government is working day and night to create a better Nigeria for everybody,’’ Izuwah said.

  • 28 ships arrive Lagos with petroleum products

    28 ships arrive Lagos with petroleum products

    Twenty-eight ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos from Tuesday to Jan. 4, 2018.

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) stated this in its publication, “Shipping Position’’, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Tuesday.

    It said that the ships contained buck wheat, steel products, empty containers, frozen fish, bulk gas and bulk gypsum.

    Read Also: Petrol hawkers back on Lagos streets

    Other items in the consignment, according to the NPA, are bulk gas, bulk fertiliser, aviation fuel, ethanol, diesel, petrol and containers laden with goods.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that six ships with bulk fertiliser, aviation fuel and petrol consignment were currently at the Lagos ports, waiting to berth

  • Nine ships arrive Lagos ports with petroleum products

    Nine ships arrive Lagos ports with petroleum products

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Thursday said three out of nine ships waiting to berth in Lagos ports contained petrol.

    The ports authority said this in its daily `Shipping Position’ released in Lagos.

    The document indicated that the remaining six ships were laden with diesel, bulk maize, bulk fertiliser and aviation fuel.

    It said that 29 other ships with petroleum products, food items and other goods consignments were expected in Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports between Dec. 14 and Dec. 30.

    “The expected ships are carrying buck wheat, containers, general cargoes, bulk steel products, bulk sugar, bulk gypsum, crude palm olein, empty containers, diesel and aviation fuel,” NPA said.

    Read Also: Return of fuel queues

     

  • Importers, agents urge govt to invest in infrastructure

    Importers, agents urge govt to invest in infrastructure

    How can Nigeria become a hub of maritime operations in West and Central Africa? It is by getting the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to develop new port facilities comparable to none in the sub-region.

    Importers’ and clearing agents made this suggestion at a forum in Lagos.

    According to their spokesperson, Sesan Abolarinwa, it is imperative for the government to promote the maritime industry to benefit from the increasing cargo traffic across the globe.

    New facilities, Abolarinwa, Bolas Motors Managing Director, said should be designed by the Ministry of Transport to meet the logistics needs of the industry in anticipation of future development.

    He called on the government to fund maritime researches, saying the sector lacked in-depth investigation due to poor funding.

    ‘‘The maritime industry has experienced an appreciable development in recent years. That development is set to stay. World trade continues to shift global markets and production lines make new demands on transport systems and on ports in particular.

    ‘‘Ports serve the national interest, supporting the competitiveness of national and regional economies. It is in the nation’s interest that our ports remain able to handle cargo trade and its potential development efficiently and sustainably,” he said.

    The maritime industry, according to Abolarinwa, was in dire need of a number of reforms. “New port facilities would help to bring the industry to international  standards. The importers lamented that previous administrations, like most practitioners in the maritime industry, did not live by the rules guiding the profession, which they said has resulted in a number of problems in the sector.

    “The maritime industry requires reforms; reform by way of standardising, educating, informing, sanitising the practice and making it global because the mere mention of the words import and export trade means we are not doing it locally, but across borders. Therefore, there are set rules, information and knowledge that  operators must possess,” he said.

    Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu said the maritime industry has project for rapid and sustainable growth.

    “Based on this development and the strategic position Nigeria occupy in the industry and the sub-region for the development of human capital for an enhanced economy, it is expected of the government to train our youth to develop interest in maritime education,” Shittu said.

    To meet the manpower requirement for the nation’s fleet, Shittu also canvassed for robust, consistent, versatile and dynamic maritime policies, which are in tandem with global issues to ensures efficiency.

    He lamented that the country, despite its huge population, has no standard maritime institute compared to countries such as the Philippines, which he said, has over 40 maritime academies with half of the population.

    The Philippines, Shittu said supplies over 30 per cent of the world’s seafarers’ requirement.

    He noted that the Philippines earn over $1.6 billion from reparation from seafarers.

    Shittu emphasised the need for a training school to develop competent manpower for the sector, adding that the industry would grow if the government co-opted the private sector into its manpower development strategy.

    A stakeholder, Mr Benson Adegboyega, called on the Federal Government to formulate a new policy that would promote business at the ports.

    This, according to him, requires strengthening regional commitment to eradicating sub-standard shipping and ensure the rapid development of the industry.

     

  • FG slashes import, export documentation requirements

    FG slashes import, export documentation requirements

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun says the Federal Government has reduced documentation requirements for import and export, to facilitate trade.

    Adeosun made this known on Thursday in Lagos at a Sensitisation Workshop with the theme: “Understanding Nigeria’s Revised Import and Export Guidelines, Procedures and Documentation Requirements for Ease of Doing Business’’.

    According to the minister, the measures include the reduction of documentation requirements from 10 to seven, for exports and from 14 to eight, for imports.

    Adeosun, who was represented by the Director, Home Finance, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mrs Olubunmi Siyanbola, said that additional responsibilities had been given to the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS ), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the shipping lines/other carriers.

    Reports say that government’s attention is principally focused on measures to ensure reduction in time spent on processing of export and also to ensure 24-hour clearance of cargo imported into the country.

    The minister announced that the NCS shall coordinate the mandatory joint examination and Sign-Off Form, within the official working hours, including Saturdays.

    “NCS shall make available the shipping manifests to other examination agencies as soon as they are received, to enable enough time for Risk Assessment.

    “Nigeria Integrated Customs Information Systems (NICIS) should be strengthened to accommodate more agencies.

    “Shipping lines shall transmit to the NCS and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the cargo manifest, before leaving the last Ports of Call to Nigeria.

    “Shipping lines shall ensure that Nigeria-bound containerised cargo are palletised,’’ Adeosun said.

    The minister said that a new section had been introduced, which stated that the NPA shall receive cargo manifests from shipping lines before the ship leaves the last Port of Call and circulate to other regulatory agencies for Risk Assessment and Profiling.

    Adeosun said that NPA shall be responsible for traffic management of vessels and shall ensure pilotage of vessels.
    The minister commended the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari toward ensuring the Ease of Doing business, which had started yielding dividends in some areas.

    According to her, in the recent World Bank report, Nigeria had moved up 24 points from 169th position on the 2017 ranking and also 170th position on the 2016 ranking to 145th position in the World Bank’s 2018 report.

    “That is, Nigeria is now in 145th position out of 190 countries in the Ease of Doing Business Index for 2018,’’ she said.
    Adeosun said that government was working relentlessly to quickly put in order the scanning system, so as to eliminate manual examination of goods and other associated delays.

    She said that the Export and Import Guidelines would be fully implemented with effect from January 1, 2018.

    “The Guidelines may not be perfect to address all concerns but government will monitor its implementation closely, to address emerging and unforeseen situations,’’ the minister said.

    In a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Dr Mamoud Isa-Dutse, urged business entities involved in both import and export trading to abide by the provisions of the guidelines.

    The permanent secretary was represented by the Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mr Salisu Nainna.

    “Let our efforts in striving to create a lucrative business environment in Nigeria be mutually-reinforcing, to enable us as a country make significant progress.

    “We are duty-bound to foster formal trade not only to block loopholes for leakages of government revenue but also to promote the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, so as to enhance the competitiveness of the economy for our business to continue to prosper.

    “The present government is taking steps toward ensuring 24-hour clearance of cargo using cutting-edge technology.

    “In this direction, efforts are ongoing to revive and upgrade the scanning system as a short-term measure, pending the acquisition of modern High Definition Scanners,’’ Isa-Dutse said.

    He said that the Ease of Doing Business had improved Nigeria’s performance in terms of trading across borders, with the introduction of Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

    The permanent secretary said that the guidelines had taken into account the directives of the Vice President and there was that inherent potency to facilitate trade without compromising the interest of the national economy.

    Isa-Dutse said that the objective of the workshop could be achieved if stakeholders were properly informed about procedures, rules and regulations, as well as modalities for their implementation and enforcement.

    Dr Jumoke Oduwole, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment, urged the private sector to cooperate with the Federal Government in the reform initiatives.

    “We ask that stakeholders should refrain from circumventing policies, as we strive to implement initiatives and reforms needed to scale up the efficiency and transparency of the public sector, ’’ Oduwole said.

    “We invite you all to give us your candid feedback on how our reforms are working in practice, as we collectively strive to make Nigeria an easier place in which to do business,’’ she said.

    Oduwole was represented by Mr Jude Oboh, Reform Leader at the Enabling Business Environment secretariat.

    Mr Tony Ayalogu, a Deputy Controller of Customs, stressed the importance of palletisation of cargo, saying that it protected goods from any form of damage.

    Ayalogu said that a standard palletised cargo could carry a maximum cargo of 100 kg.

    He urged Nigerians to ensure compliance with policy on palletisation of containerised cargo coming into the country, to make the Customs work seamlessly and to reduce the time of doing business.

    NAN