By Kenneth Jukpor
The President, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Mr Adewale Adeyanju has commended Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited, the flagship company of SIFAX Group, for the acquisition of new equipment worth over twenty million dollars.
The MWUN boss said that the equipment would bring a new dawn in the life of workers at the terminals.
Recall that the MWUN President General had been critical of the terminal for lack of surveillance in the past following pilfering of cargoes and vandalization at the Port and Cargo terminal, however, he commended the company for the swift turnaround and efficiency in port operations.
According to him, the union would continue to support good terminal operators like Ports and Cargo which he rated as one of the top performing terminals in the country.
“We will like the terminal to continue in the next thirty years and while performing, they should remember those that are do the work for them, the port workers,” he said.
The new equipment acquired include; five shore cranes, nine Reach Stackers, ten terminal tractors, five Nissan pickup vehicles, four trailer backs and other machinery.
At the commissioning of the new equipment in Lagos, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, Group Managing Director, SIFAX Group hinted that the acquisition was part of the company’s strategic investment to deliver quality service to its clientele and to further attract more patronage.
“With our new internal restructuring project code named Quantuam Leap, SIFAX Group is repositioning itself to become the first choice terminal not just in Nigeria but in West Africa. We have also set a target that will increase our revenue with over 300% in five years.”
“One of the ways, we can achieve our set targets is to first begin with investment in equipment which will complement our excellent personnel asset. These new equipment are the best and latest in town, they will catapult us into the next level growth we are working towards”, he said.
While welcoming the guests, Mr. John Jenkins, Managing Director, Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, said there was a need to acquire the latest equipment in order to meet the architecture requirements of modern ship calling the terminal.
He noted further the company was already engaging several shipping lines in order to boost the company’s clientele base.
In her remarks, Aisha Ali Ibrahim, Assistant General Manager, Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) who represented the NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman, expressed delight at the new acquisition, adding that it was a thing of joy that an indigenous company, Ports & Cargo, is competing favourably with foreign multinationals in the maritime sector in terms of investment, manpower and quality of service delivery.
Andrew Lynch, Managing Director, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Nigeria, one of the world’s foremost shipping lines also congratulated Ports & Cargo on the acquisition of these equipment. Lynch explained that the partnership between Ports & Cargo and MSC will be better forged with the acquisition of the equipment.
He said: “Ports & Cargo and MSC have both forged an alliance which has been one of the best partnerships in the maritime sector. We are excited that these new equipment will enhance the discharge of more cargo volumes at the terminal”.
In his remarks, the Sales Manager, Africa, for Lierherr Group, Norman Herzberg stressed that his company was delighted to be the partner in the supply of some of the equipment.
He noted that the newly-acquired mobile shore cranes LHM 500 are the latest technologies with wider reach into the vessels and can discharge faster effectively and efficiently.
