Managing Director of APM Terminals Apapa Limited, Mr. Andrew Dawes, said that the relocation is temporary and will last till ongoing work on the 10 million United States Dollars (USD) (about N1.6 billion) permanent multi-level racking system for physical examination being built by the company is completed by the second quarter of next year. Dawes said the current physical examination site will now be relocated to a paved area within the terminal within a few weeks in order to create a more conducive environment for its customers and Customs operatives.
Dawes said that a more permanent solution to physical examination at the terminal will be the revolutionary multi-level racking system the company has developed and will deploy in the second quarter of 2014. He said that the current open area being used for physical examination is because an earlier examination bay built for that purpose at the cost of USD4 million in 2010 could not be used by the Customs due to process variance.
He assured customers of his company’s continued commitment to safety and high quality service delivery at its area of operation.
Dawes also disclosed that APM Terminals Apapa has received five new rubber-tire gantry cranes (RTGs) out of a series of 10 as part of the third phase terminal upgrade.
He said that the five new equipment will be commissioned in September (this month), while the remaining five RTGs will be delivered in November, enabling the terminal to convert from the use of reach stackers to the more efficient RTG operation.
“The 10 RTGs were manufactured by Konecranes in China and are equipped with a laser stack profiling system to reduce the risk of loaded containers being knocked off of stacks and an advanced system to reduce fuel consumption. They will replace 22 reach stackers now in service, although five will remain at the terminal for use with rail movements.
“The conversion of the yard to RTGs is expected to increase the terminal’s container throughput to 1.2 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) per year,” Dawes stated.
The APMT boss also said that container stacking area at the terminal is being increased by 74 acres.
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