Port operating company, APM Terminals, Apapa, has invested US$438 million (about N180 billion) in acquisition of modern cargo handling equipment.
The Manager, Mr Steen Knudsen, said in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday that the equipment was for seamless services. According to Knudsen, the investment is the highest by any port terminal operator in Nigeria.
The manager said the terminal was on an exciting journey of major transformation to deliver greater and sustainable benefits to the Nigerian economy and society.
He said that apart from investment in equipment and facility upgrade, the company was investing substantially in continuous development of its workforce.
“Since inception, we have invested around USD438 million purely into the handling equipment we have in the terminal.
“We have acquired mobile harbour cranes, rubber tyred gantry cranes, reach stackers, forklifts, terminal trucks, empty handlers, and invested into yard improvements.
“An equally important investment is the investment in our workforce, ensuring that we continuously develop our staff.
“This covers trainings, career progression and, of course, expanding the business and creating new jobs,” he said.
Knudsen said the company was focusing on renovating its buildings, upgrading in-gate and out-gate facilities, terminal fencing and lighting.
He added that the company had equipped the parking area access with a facial recognition system and expanded its fleet with new shuttle buses and pickup trucks.
“Some of our other investments are aimed at simplifying and enhancing trade.
“For a long time, shipping has been a very manual and paper-heavy process.
“We are using global best practices to introduce digitalised products in order to ensure that importers and exporters enjoy seamless services from the terminal,” Knudsen said.
He said the company recently launched massive digitalisation of its operations and services through deployment of 4G LTE wireless network, and commissioned its Operation Command Centre to enhance quality service delivery.
“We remain committed to deepening our investment in Apapa to enable us handle increasing volumes at the port.
“Our investments will create capacity to handle growth in the economy to support the Federal Government’s efforts on trade growth and improved service delivery across the logistic chain,” he said.
