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By Steve Agbota
The management of the Port of Antwerp yesterday offered training and consultancy opportunity on port efficiency to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
The Manager, Port Projects, Port of Antwerp International, Mr. Philippe Droesbeke, made this offer during a courtesy visit to the Council in Lagos, said that the opportunity would ensure Nigerian ports were modernised.
He added that the port’s management was offering its experience and partnership to Nigerian institutions, organisations and companies in the maritime sector.
“We have a long lasting history in the Port of Antwerp and we are here to offer our experience and partnership with Nigerian institutions, organisations and companies in the maritime sector. We have a very good reference for cold chain, especially with perishables that will be offered for export,” he said.
He said that multimodality was an approach Nigeria should adopt as solution to congestion at Nigerian ports, urging the country to shift from the road to other modalities such as barges. He revealed that the Port of Antwerp had the capacity of 140 million tonnes of cargo in a year due to its multimodal approach. He explained that trains had 50 per cent, barges 40 per cent and trucks 10 per cent.
However, he exhorted Nigeria to invest in its port, saying that with the steady growth in cargo flow, there was need to acquire the right equipment to achieve efficiency.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, said that the Council was always interested in interconnectivity and having the nation’s dry ports meet international expectations.
