Checks by the Nigerian Tribune have revealed that unapproved barging operations are currently leading to multi-million Naira cargo losses and security issues at the nation’s busiest entry points, Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports. Investigations confirmed that an importer, ASPA POP Investment Limited, recently lost N23.7 million worth of imported bags of POP due to an unapproved barge operation carried out by the French shipping company, CMA CGM. The operation involved the movement of goods from Apapa Port to Lekki Port and then to the Ikorodu terminal.
Further findings revealed that ASPA POP Investment Limited was unaware of the barging operations conducted by CMA CGM, which resulted in water damage to 1,777 bags of POP. According to a clearing agent involved in the clearance of the bags, “The manner in which some shipping companies put cargoes on barges at the ports without the consent of the importer is beginning to raise security concerns, aside from the cargo losses that sometimes occur during such operations.”
The clearing agent explained, “In the case of ASPA POP Investment Limited and CMA CGM, the POP consignment, covered by Bill of Lading number CFA0677673, arrived at Apapa Port but was shipped via barges to Lekki Port and then to Ikorodu, where ASPA POP Investment Limited is headquartered. By the time the goods arrived in Ikorodu, 1,777 bags of POP had been damaged by water, leading to a loss of N23,735,700. The issue is now being addressed by the port economic regulator, the Nigerian Shippers Council.”
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The agent further emphasized the security risks posed by such unapproved operations, saying, “The movement of cargoes from point A to point B via barges without the consent of the importer is dangerous. What if the cargo contains hazardous materials that ought to have been stopped at Apapa? This practice should be scrutinized by the responsible government agencies, particularly the Nigerian Shippers Council.”
When contacted, the Head of Complaints at the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Comrade Bashir Ambi-Mohammed, confirmed that the cargoes in question were barged from Apapa to Lekki Port by CMA CGM without the consent of the importer, ASPA POP Investment Limited. He stated, “The issue you are talking about has been resolved. The bags of POP were put on a barge to Lekki Port without the approval or knowledge of the importer. During the barge operation, some of the bags were damaged by water.”
Comrade Bashir added, “The importer reported the matter to us because ASPA POP Investment Limited’s compensation demand differed from what CMA CGM was willing to pay. The importer summarized their losses as follows: the cost of each of the 1,777 damaged De Don POP molding plaster bags at N9,500 per bag amounted to N16,891,000. The cost of transportation and evacuation of the damaged POP was N4,444,700, while the cost of haulage of the damaged bags to various locations in Ogun and Oyo states was N2,400,000. This brought the total claim to N23,735,700.”
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