Six teams, as at Friday evening, emerged as quarter finalists of the ongoing 5thShips & Ports Maritime Cup Competition.
Defending champions, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is so far the only team that has qualified from Group A with six points and a goal difference of plus 12 from three matches.
Former Maritime Cup champion, Micura Stevedoring Services, and leading port terminal operator, APM Terminals Apapa Limited, clinched the quarter final tickets from Group B, while Nigerian Navy (NN) and Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) emerged as quarter finalists from Group C after playing a 1-1 draw at Union Bank’s Sports Complex, Surulere, Lagos, last Friday.
Leading indigenous private terminal operator, ENL Consortium is also the only quarter finalist so far from Group D having won its first two matches and garnered six points with a goal difference of plus two.
HOW THE QUARTER FINALISTS EMERGED
APM Terminals
Team APM Terminals Apapa Limited on Friday qualified for the quarter finals of the ongoing 5th Ships & Ports Maritime Cup Competition after defeating the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) by four goals to one in a tension-soaked match played on the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
APM Terminals’ journey to the quarter finals started with its first match played penultimate Wednesday at the same venue when it defeated group rival, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL) by three goals to nothing.
APMT, however, lost its second match to former champions, Micura Stevedoring Services, by a lone goal.
At the end of its third group match played against NAGAFF, APMT emerged runner-up in Group B with six points and a goal difference of plus eight, pushing NAGAFF into the third place on goal advantage.
The Managing Director of APM Terminals, Mr. Dallas Hampton, was always on hand to cheer the team to victory.
Apart from attending the opening ceremony, Hampton watched all the three matches involving his team.
There is a strong chance that APM Terminals will play its quarter final match against the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in the first quarter final match scheduled for Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos this Wednesday.
Micura
Leader of Group B, Micura Stevedoring Services, won the Maritime Cup in 2012. The team started its 2013 Maritime Cup campaign with a 2 – 3 loss to NAGAFF.
Micura, however, won its other two group matches by defeating APMT by a lone goal last Tuesday and thrashing LADOL by eight goals to nothing last Friday.
Micura finished at the top of Group B with six points and goal difference of plus eight.
Micura will play against the runner up of Group A in the second quarter match scheduled to hold on Wednesday at the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Nigerian Navy
Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) emerged as the quarter finalists in Group C after their match ended 1-1 at Union Bank Sports Complex on Friday.
The Navy had earlier defeated the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders, Nigeria (AREFFN) 2-1 and walked over Blue Ocean to top the group with seven points and a goal difference of plus four.
Nigerian Navy has participated in all five editions of the Maritime Cup Competition held so far.
It won the maiden edition of the competition in 2009.
Nigerian Shippers’ Council
Nigerian Shippers’ Council secured its quarter final ticket by playing a goal-less draw with the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders (AREFFN).
Nigerian Shippers’ Council secured victory over Blue Ocean through a walkover, emerging the runner-up of Group C with five points and a goal difference of plus three.
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council team enjoys a lot of crowd support, as the Council’s staff turn out to watch its matches in large number.
Nigeria Customs Service
Defending champions of the Maritime Cup, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said that it came into this year’s competition to win the trophy for keeps.
The team’s first match ended in a disappointing loss to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Customs lost that opening match by a lone goal, but it secured victories in its remaining two group matches.
The Customs team trounced Bollore Group by 10 goals to nothing and had a walkover victory over Certified Institute of Shipping (CIS).
ENL Consortium
It is the first time ENL Consortium Limited is participating in the Maritime Cup Competition, but the team is obviously determined to make a bold statement in its maiden campaign.
The Princess Vicky Haastrup Boys, as they are called, left no one in doubt that they have prepared well for the competition, as they defeated fellow newcomer, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Cruise by three goals to two in their first match played at the Main Bowl of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, penultimate Saturday.
ENL also defeated hard-fighting group rival, Ocean Star, two goals to one last Wednesday to Group D.
WHO CLINCHES THE REMAINING QF TICKETS?
Group A
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is likely to emerge as the second quarter finalist from Group A.
NIMASA won its first two matches by spanking the Nigeria Customs Service by a lone goal, securing victory through a walkover against the Certified Institute of Shipping (CIS).
NIMASA at present is looking good with six points and a goal difference of +14.
Its last group match will be played today against SDV/Bollore Group.
With three points and a goal difference of -7, Bollore doesn’t look like a threat to NIMASA’s ambition of advancing to the next round of the competition.
Group D
Though Ocean Star is looking good with four points, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Sifax Group with a point each still have hope of qualifying for the next round.
MSC played a make or mar match against Ocean Star on Saturday, but the match was not over as at the time of going to press.
If Ocean Star wins that match, it automatically qualifies for the quarter final along with ENL Consortium, but if MSC wins, it also has hope of advancing to the next round, depending on goal margin and outcome of the match between ENL and Sifax Group scheduled to be played today at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Apart from ENL, whose qualification for the next round has been secured; Ocean Star, MSC and Sifax Group still have the chance of advancing to the next round.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.