Eromosele Abiodun
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said yesterday that it has concluded plans with the terminal operators to begin the reconstruction of the collapsed berths at the Rivers Port in Port Harcourt.
The Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt during his maiden visit to the port, said the NPA has given BUA Terminal, one of the terminal operators, the final approval for the submitted design, which means the NPA expects construction would commence soon.
According to him, the berths 5 to 8 of the BUA Terminal that were built in the 1920s, collapsed years back.
Bello-Koko said the NPA is dissatisfied with the speed at which BUA is carrying out the repair works as the Authority expected that the reconstruction should have started a few months ago.
“We understand the need to plan properly but that plan is over and we expect that they should have resumed reconstruction on those berths,” he said.
For the Ports and Terminal Operators Nigeria Limited (PTOL), he said, the operator has a development plan that involves bringing down some of the shades in the terminal to improve the stacking areas and increase the terminal’s ability to handle more cargoes.
Bello-Koko said that the PTOL terminal also has some collapsed berths, which the NPA is discussing with them on how to rehabilitate so that bigger vessels will be able to berth at Rivers Port.
“We are very serious about the need to increase traffic to the Eastern Ports that way we can decongest Lagos Ports. Though, most of these ports have draft limitations and we are looking at dredging deeper so that bigger vessels can come and enable economy of scale. We are beginning to see increase activities in Onne Port, which we are happy about, “he said.
On the access road, the NPA boss said there is need to rehabilitate the roads, which is outside the purview of the Nigerian Ports Authority, but that they are working with the relevant government agencies to see to that.
He said there is synergy between the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Federal Ministry of Works, adding that government is very serious about repairing all access roads to the port, which has happened in Lagos.
