The West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Onne Port, Rivers State, has acquired additional equipment including a reach stacker and two terminal trucks to further boost efficiency and cargo handling operation at the port. This brings to six the number of trucks acquired by WACT this year, with four previously acquired in February 2019.
Speaking at a ceremony to officially commission the new trucks, the Managing Director of WACT, Aamir Mirza, said four more trucks are expected to arrive the terminal in May 2019, bringing the total to 10 this year.
Mirza said the company has so far invested $2.5 million in the provision of equipment and the development of facilities at the terminal, adding that the new trucks will improve the level of service and develop the capability of the terminal to handle increasing container volumes.
“The trucks are purpose built for terminal operations and can easily manoeuvre inside the terminal. In February, we brought four trucks and now, we have brought two more trucks and four more are on the way. We have bought a third reach stacker, which is used for handling containers and loading them from the port.
“With all this equipment coming in, we are confident that our services will continue to improve. The stakeholders are already acknowledging the presence of the equipment and this is all being done for the customers. This will make them happy so that they can bring more business to Onne Port,” he said on Tuesday.
While expressing appreciation to stakeholders for their support, the WACT Managing Director assured of his company’s commitment to continuous improvement in customer service.
He said, “We want to thank all our customers for their continued support and I can assure you that there is a lot of investment that has been planned and will we continue to keep you informed as the equipment arrives.”
The Port Manager of Onne Port represented by Yohana Izam congratulated WACT for its strong commitment to efficiency and top customer service.
He said, “We appreciate the effort WACT has made towards acquiring these trucks. It will help their business and improve overall port performance.”
The truck commissioning event was attended by several stakeholders including the representatives of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), importers, truckers, freight forwarding associations, the Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA), Onne Free Zone Chapter, Mike Ebeatu; Chairman, Ports Consultative Council (PCC), Eastern Ports, Chief Godwin Ololuka; and representative of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), Obinna Ugochukwu, among others. WACT, which started commercial operations in 2007, is the most customer friendly port facility in the South-South and South-East regions of Nigeria.
With a capacity of 314,000 TEUs, 375 reefer plugs and berths with depth of up to 12 meters, it is also the most efficient gateway to most markets outside the Lagos area. In 2016, WACT was named Nigeria’s Best Container Handling and Port Development Company at the African Governance and Corporate Leadership Award organized by the Institute for Government, Research, Leadership and Technology, Abuja.
The Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (OCCIMA) also named WACT the winner of its Corporate Distinguished Service Award in 2015.