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Stories by Isaac Anumihe
The new focus of the Federal Government to introduce rail tracks in the Nigerian ports has received accolades from stakeholders and industry watchers. The rail is expected to ferry goods and cargoes swifty out of the ports as against the old way of using tankers and trailers.
Apart from decongesting the ports, perishable goods will get to their destinations before they get bad. In addition, ports will be decongested, and heavy duty trucks hitherto used to convey goods will disappear from the roads to save the roads from dilapidation.
Tankers travel from Kaduna to Lagos ports and other ports, causing traffic gridlocks and accidents on their way. Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in its report had said that 25 per cent accidents in Nigeria are caused by trailers owned by a foremost cement company. This implies that if these tankers or trailers are removed from Nigerian roads, accidents will be minimised or even eliminated.
Recently, Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr Hassan Bello, during a parley with media executives, in Lagos, reiterated Federal Government’s resolve to ferry cargoes from Lagos to Kaduna by rail.
According to him, the Federal Government has concluded plans to establish the first dry port in Kaduna. Although, there is no water in Kaduna, cargoes will be transported through the rail to Kaduna where they will be cleared. However, it is not unexpected that such a laudable programme may not see the light of the day in Nigeria because powerful interest groups like the trailer or tanker owners have the powers to make it unachievable.
The tanker owners have formed themselves into a powerful cartel known as National Association of Tanker Owners ( NATO) and they can withdraw the tankers from the roads at the slightest provocation. So, if the rail is used to transport the cargoes and petroleum products, the powers of NATO will be whittled down.
A development economist, Mr Odilim Enwegbara, said that using rail to ferry cargoes is a modern technology adopted by many countries, because rail transport fastens movement of goods from seaport to seaport as well as out of the ports.
“In all modern economies, it is rail tracks that are used to move goods from within the seaport, not trucks. Reasons are many.
First, rail tracks fasten the movement of imported goods out of the seaport since such goods could be loaded or unloaded directly on rail trains inside the ship. Unlike trucks which could cause traffic jam, rail trains have their own special tracks and freely allow the train coaches loaded with containers to move out and inside the port.
“Because they exert uniform pressure on the rail tracks, they hardly destroy the tracks. In the case of trucks, lacking uniform pressure they easily destroy the roads. Breakdown of the trucks tend to cause traffic obstructions, including long truck queues. Because train tracks have their own routes mapped out, should the rail track or the train break down, it hardly obstructs general traffic.
Train as a means of moving goods in and out of the port is far cheaper than trucks which in most cases cost more than the freight charges from one part of the world to another in moving either a 20ft or 40ft container. The good thing about the use of trains instead of trucks is that trains can deliver goods in good condition whereas trucks are prone to breakdowns or traffic obstructions thus causing unnecessary delays.
“Containers are prone to fall off trucks, whereas trains are more secured and protected from falling off train tracks. Records have shown that container fall is a major cause of deaths; particularly in developing countries like Nigeria where the roads and traffic rules are hardly obeyed by road users and truck drivers. In Nigeria for example, thousands of road users are killed by heavy duty trucks and in most cases overloaded trucks, poorly maintained and trucks lacking road-worthiness.
When the goods contain explosives, it is better to transport them on trains where they are more secured; whereas such explosives have the possibility of being hijacked by terrorists should there be a road accident.
“In the case of environmental protection, unlike trucks that are powered by diesel, modern train tracks are powered directly by gas and electricity which could come from wind, hydro, nuclear, biomass, etc. Cities are already polluted by vehicles with heavy duty trucks conveying containers. These cities are sometimes environmentally overstretched beyond their carrying capacities. While trains fired by electricity or gas are mostly noise-proof, trucks, including those carrying containers are noisy.
“For our roads to last longer, few heavy duty trucks should be allowed by law to ply the roads. Since most of the heavy duty trucks are container carriers, they should be banned from plying the roads. But should these container carrying trucks be allowed to use our highways, weighing infrastructure to ascertain their death weights should be installed in most of our major highways so that overloaded trucks are restricted from using the highways not only because of the pressure they exert on the roads but also because of their frequent breakdowns.
Also to discourage trucks, high toll fees should be imposed on such heavy duty trucks, such as those carrying containers,” he said.
In the same vein, a freight forwarder and an importer, Chief Osita Patrick Chukwu, told Daily Sun that rail transportation in the ports is the best thing to happen to Nigeria because, according to him, they give all kinds of excuses concerning Nigerian roads and instability as reasons why they don’t use Nigerian ports.
“If the Federal Government can do that it is good. Bring your cargo and let the ports be free. That is the best option for now. For the importers it will bring sanity and decongestion and it will make everybody in the ports to sit up and know that the government of today is not the government of yesterday. Can you imagine that after loading your cargo, SSS will block it, SON will block it or Quarantine will block it. Also, NDLEA and NAFDAC will follow suit. All those things have helped to cause congestion. If you go to other ports in the world, nothing like that happens. It is only in Nigeria you can find such things,” he lamented.
NIMASA helicopter grounded as piracy surges –Investigation
The Augusta AW 139 Helicopter procured by Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for aerial patrol, search and rescue operations has been grounded for over 8 years now while oil thefts, piracy and sea robberies have taken the centrestage, Daily Sun investigations reveal.
The aircraft which has a carrying capacity for 10 persons, including the pilot and co-pilot was procured to boost security in the Nigeria’s coastline.
For a country with high rate of maritime risks involving kidnapping, oil thefts, piracy and sea robberies, it is widely believed that such an aircraft has no business being idle or under- utilised.
Investigations reveal that successive administrations of the agency have not been putting the helicopter to use as its insurance has since expired and has not been renewed for several years now.
The aircraft has not been deployed for use in any of the agency’s search and rescue operations in the last eight years.
Sources disclosed that the aircraft has been locked up in a military facility at the Navy Barracks in Satellite Town, Lagos as it was being manned and operated by operatives of the Maritime Guard Command (MGC).
The MGC is a collaborative programme between NIMASA and various arms of the armed forces to improve security, reconnaissance and patrol of Nigeria’s maritime space.
NIMASA has signed several Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with various security outfits including the army, navy, airforce, police and Civil Defence Corps to provide personnel and arms while the agency provides the operational platforms like boats for patrols.
It was also gathered that all the operational papers, including the insurance documents of the craft have expired. Daily Sun also learnt that the aircraft will require several billions of dollars to maintain and put back to use.
According to trustchoice.com, helicopter insurance covers three areas of liability, passengers and hull:
Liability coverage: This portion of the policy will cover the legal responsibility in the event of another person’s personal injury or property damage while flying or landing.
Passenger liability: Passenger liability insurance is necessary if you carry passengers in your helicopter.
Hull insurance: Hull insurance, which is another name for property damage insurance for airplanes and helicopters, can insure your helicopter when it is on the ground or when it is in flight.
When Daily Sun called the Head, Corporate Communications, Hajia Lami Tumaka, she simply said: “Please send me a text so that I will send it to the rightful department to give you that information. I don’t have that information.” However, her reply did not come before the end of production.
Customs debunks container ‘flying’ in Tin Can port rumour
Officials of the Tin Can Island Port Command of Nigeria Customs Service have debunked the allegation of exiting containers without duty payment.
Controller of the Command, Yusuf Bashar, also challenged anyone with a proof of such practice under his watch to come up with it.
In a statement issued by the Command’s spokesman, Uche Ejesieme, the Controller reiterated his readiness to address and frontally deal with issues militating against maximum collection of government revenue in the port.
The practice of exiting containers without duty payment, which in port parlance is ‘container flying’, was alleged to have taken place in the port.
Bashar said the customs has devised ways to curb such infractions and sharp practices while it continuously improves on its service delivery in line with global best practice.
“It is instructive to note that the various reforms being instituted have the tendency of checking all manner of sharp practices in the port.
This is a new order and a new dispensation, whereby the Service cannot afford to renege on its statutory responsibilities irrespective of circumstance. The issue of compromise in whatever form cannot be contemplated,” the CAC said.
