SIFAX Records 11,000 TEUs Growth in Cargo Volume in 10 Years

Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, the terminal operator in charge of Terminal C of the Tin Can Island Ports complex has said the company grew its cargo volumes by over 11, 000 Twenty Equivalent Units TEUs in the last 10 years.

The firm is a subsidiary of the SIFAX Group had after the concession programme in 2006 supervised by the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA and the Bureau of Public Enterprise BPE inherited obsolete cargo handling equipment, greasy poor terminal and large, redundant workforce from the NPA, which was the sole terminal operator then.

Managing Director of the company, Mohammed Bulangu, who spoke with newsmen as part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the terminal, said that the last 10 years have been eventful and full of challenges. According to him, at inception, the company inherited 5000 TEUs capacity, which has currently grown to over 16,000 TEUs.

He said:“On taking over the terminal, we realized that there was a lot of job to do and many challenges to be surmounted.

Some of the early glitches included what to do with the numerous NPA staff and dockworkers; abandoned cargo and equipment; the terminal was very dirty and full of junks while the terminal floor was full of grease and oil from old forklifts and other equipment.