Klaus Holm Laursen has been appointed as the new Country Manager for APM Terminals Nigeria.
In his new capacity, the Country Manager will oversee the operations of APM Terminals in Apapa, Onne and Kano.
Until his appointment, Laursen was the Managing Director of APM Terminals, Poti Seaport – the largest port in Georgia, handling liquids, dry bulk, passenger ferries and 85% of Georgia’s container traffic.
Laursen has worked with the Maersk Group since 1998 in various capacities and has served in various countries including Denmark, Malaysia, South Korea, Netherlands, Jordan and Egypt.
“I am happy to work in Nigeria. I believe Nigeria has a lot of potentials and our company is happy to contribute to the economic development of the country and the well being of the people.
“We will work with the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant agencies of government at all levels to actualize the Ease of Doing Business policy of the Federal Government and make the ports more efficient.
“APM Terminals in Nigeria will offer reliable, safe and efficient operations with a continuous improvement focus. We also assure our customers of flexible and solutions-oriented approach to address their needs, in addition to deploying innovative, digital solutions that enable customers to order their services quickly and easily,” Laursen said.
This year, APM Terminals Apapa has acquired seven additional Mobile Harbour Cranes as part of a fresh investment of USD80million for the year 2020-2021, bringing the total investment by the company at the Apapa Port since 2006 to USD438million, which is the highest by any private terminal operator in Nigeria, resulting in significant improvements in productivity.
APM Terminals has also restored a regular rail service for evacuation of cargo by rail to reduce pressure on the roads. Last week, the terminal introduced two daily rail connections to Alagomeji Terminal in Yaba and Ijoko Terminal in Ogun State. With the connections, trucks can be deployed to both locations to collect containers and return empties, which the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) will convey back to the port.
To reduce truck traffic on the road, APM Terminal Apapa also receives and loads containers on barges, in addition to operating a truck safety program which ensures that designated, physically protected areas are provided for drivers conducting operational activities outside of their truck cabs, as well as safety instructions specific to each facility’s layout and traffic flow.