Many port workers may soon lose their jobs as reports have shown a sharp drop in barge operations at Apapa Port Container Terminal.

Known to be one of the busiest ports in Nigeria, the Apapa port has recorded low activities in recent weeks, leading to fears that the barge operators may be forced to downsize.

According to the barge operators, the slump in activities is because there is no berthing space for barges.

The President of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN), Bunmi Olumekun, noted in a chat that the absence of berthing space is impeding barging activities.

Apapa Port container terminal reports low berthing activities
Olumekun told Nigerian Tribune that the barge operators have had meetings with the management of the Port Terminal over the issue.

“We can evacuate up to 4,000 containers daily if provided with a dedicated berthing space, but as we speak, APM Terminals has no dedicated berthing space for barge operations. The barging patronage at APM Terminals is very low, and that was why we had to meet with them recently. We discussed improving the barging operations at APM Terminals.

“We need a dedicated berth from barges at APM Terminals so that we will not be kicked out when a bigger or mother vessel arrives. If we have a dedicated berth at APM Terminals, barge operators can call at the port anytime, load and leave the port.”

Barge operations in a port refer to the activities involving barges, which are flat-bottomed boats used to transport goods, typically in inland waterways or along coastal areas.

Barges are often used in ports to move cargo between ships and shore, from a port to an inland destination, or between different vessels, in places where large ships cannot easily dock due to shallow waters, limited infrastructure, or space constraints.

Port management promises to address the issues

Olumekun noted that the terminal management has asked for a little more time to clear the congestion at the port corridor and speed up container evacuation before they can create a berthing space.

The port terminal currently has a backlog of vessels waiting to berth, and until the management clears out the congested ports, no room can be made for the Barge operators.

Other issues raised at the engagement meeting with the port management are the higher charges associated with exports, compared to lower charges associated with imports. The commercial team also assured the barge operators that there would be a review.

Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria also recently increased the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) foreign exchange (FX) rate for import duties, to N1,529.64/$.

Apapa Port makes history

In related news, Apapa Port recently made history after it received the largest container vessel to ever berth in a Nigerian port.

The vessel, owned by COSCO Shipping Lines, has 7,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), measuring 272 metres in length, 43 metres in width, and has a 14.3-metre draft.

The vessel beats the 6,606 TEU container ship, the Kota Cantik, another Singaporean vessel, which arrived at the Apapa Wharf in 2023.