By Seun Ibiyemi
APM Terminals, Apapa, has announced an expansion of its barge operations to accommodate a greater volume of non-oil exports.
Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi, the Chief Commercial Officer, disclosed this information to journalists at the second edition of the Exporters Forum held in Lagos.
She emphasised the importance of feedback from exporters, stating that APM Terminals has made significant improvements to its services.
Among the enhancements are “expanded barge slots, a new booking app, and enhanced rail services for smoother logistics.” Aubert-Adewuyi remarked, “This forum is an opportunity to hear feedback from our customers to continue building products that will help the exporters grow their business and grow Nigeria’s exports in the future.”
The Chief Financial Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Courage Obadagbonyi, highlighted the critical role of non-oil exports in driving foreign exchange, creating jobs, and reducing inflation. He stated, “APM Terminals Apapa is committed to advancing the Federal Government’s economic diversification efforts by promoting non-oil exports.”
He noted, “As a result of our efforts in this regard, we have recorded a 25 per cent increase of non-oil exports in throughput, handling 51,000 TEUs in the first half of 2024 compared to 47,000 TEUs in the same period of 2023.”
Obadagbonyi also stressed the need for further investments in transport infrastructure, streamlined export procedures, and higher-quality products to enhance Nigeria’s non-oil export potential.
APM Terminals Apapa’s Head of Operations, Riyaz Melekolangath, mentioned the creation of extended gate access and dedicated export lanes to reduce turnaround times for export containers.
Industry leaders in attendance praised APM Terminals for its responsive export processes and encouraged a focus on reducing carbon emissions, particularly through rail transport.
The Managing Director of Bueno Logistics Limited, Jetson Nwankwo, commended APM Terminals for promoting rail usage for cargo evacuation. He stated, “It has been proven that the carbon emission of trains is less than the carbon emission of trucks.”
Nwankwo added, “If you calculate it by using 10 dollars per pound of carbon, you will discover that APM Terminals can have an award of carbon credit that will be used to offset other expenses. If APM Terminals gets some carbon credits, they can lower the rates they give on demurrage, storage or handling charges as the case may be.”