Nigeria’s leading container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa has expressed support for the Federal Government’s drive to connect the Apapa Port to the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line.

Klaus Laursen, the Country Manager of APM Terminals Nigeria, announced this last Monday, during a visit to the terminal by the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki. He also commented that, “Linking the port to the rail line will facilitate cargo delivery.”

Mr. Laursen advocated multimodal transportation system to evacuate cargo from the port to avoid port congestion: “APM Terminals Apapa first restored the rail in the port in 2013 leading to the movement of containers from Apapa port to Kano and Kaduna three times a week,” he explained. “Connecting the port to the new Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line will offer cost advantage to consignees and reduce pressure on the road network.”

In addition to supporting the use of rail to evacuate cargo, APM Terminals Apapa has encouraged the use of barges to move boxes from the terminal.

Over the past few years APM Terminals Apapa has been on a remarkable transformation journey. It has led with a strong ambition to become a world-class terminal operator, which the country can be proud of. It has also supported the local community with access to jobs, products, foods, and medicine.

“For us, it is not just about moving containers around; we are a heartbeat for the society and we create value for our customers,” said Mr. Laursen.

The Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, said, “Arrangements have been made to remove the Customs building housing a radiation scanner, which has been obstructing the extension of the rail track to the port quay.”

“By the end of this month, we want to ensure that the removal of this Customs facility, which is on the rail track, is resolved. The goal is to have this track operational by the end of this month,” the Minister said.

APM Terminals Apapa is the largest container terminal in Nigeria. With an investment of over USD438 million in equipment, facilities and other elements of its operations over the last 15 years, the terminal has continued to introduce new innovations to help both shipping lines and landside customers achieve improved supply chain efficiency and flexibility in a cost-effective manner.