The Port Manager of Tin-can Island port, Emmanuel Akporherhi, has said that the traffic gridlock around the port area has made it difficult to effectively implement the truck call-up system.
In an exclusive chat with Vanguard Maritime Report recently, Akporherhe said though the system is functional at a minimum level, full implementation will start once the palliative works on the Apapa – Mile2 axes of the road by stakeholders is completed.
According to him, “The call-up system is already on but I am talking of effective implementation. The one that will allow the trucks that are to be called in to get to the port and get back easily.
“At the same time, to allow those that ought to come to the port normally to work but if the road is not passable, it is not very easy to sort that out but all hands are on deck now for the palliative works on the road to be done.
“Even on our own side, we also did some palliatives at our second gate (Tin-can Island port) where trailer fell last week; so even this week too we are also doing palliatives on the bad spots of the port roads.”
“I am in touch with the Commodore Eyo who is in charge of the Beecroft. He said that he has been given order to go and sort out the congestion so but right now the palliatives on the roads are still ongoing.
“Stakeholders are working on it, the stakeholders from the tank farm owners and the concessionaires and I even learnt that Dangote is also working on the Tin-can Island axes. So it is when the road is manageably okay that we are going to effectively move into the call-up system that will lead to effective decongestion of the roads,” he said.