Container terminal operator, APM Terminals, Apapa, has inaugurated a Berthing Window service to reduce waiting time of ships at the port.
The Chief Commercial Officer of APM Terminals Apapa, Richard Smith, said this in a statement signed by Dr Bolaji Akinola, spokesperson for the terminal.
Smith said the service would enable the allocation of a fixed time for vessels to berth, discharge, load and sail.
He said the Berthing Window was launched with the arrival of the 4,360 Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) CMA CGM LAPIS at APM Terminals Apapa, located within the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa.
Smith represented by the Commercial Manager, Temilade Ogunniyi, said the new Berthing Window was another major achievement at APM Terminals Apapa to enhance service delivery and improve customer experience.
“The berthing window is a major step towards bringing structure to the berth schedule, cutting waiting time to zero, assisting shipping lines to maintain a regular fixed arrival time.
“This allows us to deliver better services to Nigerian importers and exporters,” Smith said.
The Port Manager of Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Olufunmilayo Olotu, who witnessed the launch of the Berthing Window, commended APM Terminals Apapa for the new initiative.
She said the initiative would boost service delivery and eliminate ship waiting time at the port.
“This development means the schedules are sent ahead and there will be no more waiting time.
“We are placing premium on professionalism and professionalism means aligning with international best practices, one of which we are witnessing.
“It has been said that shipping is all about time and time is money. We want to reduce the number of ships that are kept waiting at anchorage,”
she said.
Olotu noted that every minute a vessel was kept waiting had global economic implications.
“Therefore, our duty is to ensure that we reduce the waiting time to the barest minimum, and we are collaborating with APM Terminals to ensure that customers are satisfied,” Olotu said.
Senior Manager, Operation at Hapag-Lloyd, Abimbola Kolade, commended APM Terminals for launching the Berthing Window.
He said, “This development will bring sanity to vessel schedules. By sanity, I mean we will be able to tell our customers that our vessels will be at the port at a certain date and the cargo will get loaded.
“With this, we can assure them that their cargo will be delivered to the final destination at a certain time.
“What this means for exports is that we can tell customers when their containers will be loaded onto the vessel at Apapa and when the vessel will get to its destination. This will give them the confidence to deal with their customers overseas,” he said.
Source: The Guardian