Nigerian ports have recorded massive drops in the cargo throughput for the first quarter of 2016, an indication that less volume of goods was imported into the country within the period.
Cargo throughput is the total volume of cargo inward (imports) and (export) handled in all port Port locations during the period.
Indications have also emerged that the second quarter may record further drop in the ports’ activities as the nation’s economic fortune continues to dwindle.
The drop in gross tonnage was also reflected in the revenue generation drive of the Nigeria Customs Service as the agency also saw deficit of more than N100 billion for the first half of the year.
Port-Terminal Data on the first quarter report of activities at the ports indicates that over 1,131 oceans going vessels called at various ports across the country. Almost all the ports posted a crash in vessel calls and tonnage.
The Lagos Port Complex which houses about three terminals, namely: A. P Moller Terminals, ENL Terminals and Greenview Terminal, recorded a gross tonnage of 8, 195, 979 in the first quarter of 2016 as against 9,262, 792, in the same period in 2015 representing a drop of 11.5 per cent.
The Tin Can Island Port handled a total Gross Tonnage of 11, 853,587, showing a decline of 1.2 per cent when compared to the 2015 figure of 12, 260, 427.
Calabar and Rivers Ports, respectively, recorded total gross tonnage of 776, 718, representing a decline of 15.4 per cent when compared to 918,237 recorded in 2015 and a 1,253,616 showing 14.2 per cent drop from 1,461, 562 in the corresponding period of 2015.
A total of 79 ocean going vessels also called at the Rivers Port within the period under review. Onne Port Complex recorded a gross tonnage of 9,851,240 reflecting a decrease of 13.4 per cent from 11,371,820 recorded in 2015. Surprisingly, the Ports in Delta namely, Warri, Burutu and Sapele ports recorded a gross tonnage of 1, 756, 305, an increase of 4.7 per cent over the 2015 figure of 1,677,915.
A total of 117 vessels were also handled at the Delta port within the period. For cargo throughput in the first quarter of 2016, a total of 43,347,523 metric tonnes was recorded showing a decrease of 12.6 per cent from a figure of 49,604,516 metric tonnes in the corresponding period of 2015.
Analysis of this aspect of the report showed that the figure for general cargo stood at 1,893, 519 metric tonnes showing a decrease of 48.1 percent from a figure of 3,649,841 in 2015.
The report also showed that while bulk cargo recorded 2,176,725 metric tonnes as against 2,306,938 metric tonnes in the preceding period of 2015, indicating a drop of 5.6 per cent, liquefied cargo shipment was 5,079,262 metric tonnes in 2016 compared to 5,459,402 metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2015, showing a drop of 7 per cent.
