TERMINAL Manager at the APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, has said the construction of the new standard gauge rail line by the Federal Government is key to supporting the Nigerian economy as it would provide a cost-efficient means of moving cargo inland from the port.
He noted that this is in line with the company’s agenda of making its entire supply chain eco-friendly, by using the synergies of moving more cargo in one go.
Speaking during a media interactive session, Knudsen said APM Terminals is a global terminal operator that has deployed international best practices in facilitating trade in Nigeria.
“While a narrow-gauge railway line connecting to Kano is in operation at the terminal, the construction of the new standard gauge line by the Federal Government will further enhance the delivery of cargo through the rail.
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“Once the Standard Gauge becomes operational, we are hopeful that a lot more cargo will move on the rail which will also help our green agenda because moving cargo on rail is much more environmentally friendly than by trucks,” Knudsen said.
The terminal, in the past year, had made much effort to incorporate environmentally friendly policies in its operations. A few months ago, it collaborated with Free Recycle Limited to recycle the terminals’ worn-out tires into paving tiles. Its latest environmentally friendly venture is the conversion of single-used plastic into reflective coveralls.
Knudsen added that some of the terminals’ investments were also in the area of trade facilitation.
He said: “We are using global best practices to introduce digitalized products to ensure that importers and exporters enjoy a seamless service at the terminal.
“A berthing window has also been provided at the terminal for both deep sea vessels as well as barges, to help create more efficient flows of containers, thereby removing costs and waste from the supply chain.
“In addition to that, we continue to expand our barging traffic so we can also penetrate the areas both east and west of the terminal and ensure that our customers can take possession of their cargo in areas that are closer to their warehouses.”
The terminal had last year, introduced a berthing window service to enable consignees to take prompt delivery of their cargo, by eliminating waiting time for vessels.
