Private port operator, Port and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML) Terminal, has successfully received and assembled a Sirkosky S-92 helicopter acquired by Caverton Helicopters.
The helicopter was coupled on Thursday inside the PTML Terminal locatedat the Tin Can Island Port Complex, Lagos.
The craft arrived Lagos on December 19, 2020 onboard a vessel named Grande Morocco, which is operated by PTML’s parent company – the Grimaldi Group.
Speaking on the development, the General Manager of PTML Terminal, Babatunde Keshinro, said, “PTML terminal is a multipurpose facility, and one of our major contributions to Nigerian trade is the opportunity to handle project cargoes. This is not the first time we are receiving helicopters at this terminal, but it is the first time that a cargo of this size is being coupled in the terminal.
Keshinro said the helicopter and the other coupling parts arrived the port separately.
“It was necessary for the cargo to go through the mandatory Customs clearance. After getting the necessary approvals from NPA and Customs, we decided to collaborate with them to provide the terminal facilities for them to couple it as it is,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Chief Engineer of Caverton Helicopters, Sani Amodu, said after getting the necessary approval, all the imported components were brought together and assembled within the terminal.
He said, “The helicopter was shipped from the United States to Lagos but unfortunately because of the size, we could not take it out of the port to our facility because of the safety aspect of it. So, what we did was that instead of taking it out and going through the risk of the road, we decided to couple it here, following all the safety precautions as recommended by both the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as well as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
“We are very pleased and happy with the support given to us by the terminal operator and the NPA on this feat. This is the first time we are doing this through the port. We could have air-freighted it but because of the size, we decided to bring it in through the port so that we can get the very best of service.
Amodu said the 19-seater Sirkosky S-92 is one of the best in the category for oil and gas businesses.
“The Sirkosky S-92 was acquired by Caverton Helicopters — being the first indigenous company in Africa to get it. Normally, all the multinational companies that have operated the machine in Africa were brought in for the sole business of making it work and taking it back but Caverton has bought it and is going to keep it to increase capability and support for oil and gas,” he said.
