Calabar Port Revives, Receives Four Shiploads Of PMS, Others
A total of four shiploads of Premium Motor Spirit PMS, also called petrol, among other cargoes have been declared for the Calabar Ports Complex, an indication that the port has come alive once more, owing to among other factors the various initiatives put in place by the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA to revive the Eastern Ports by boosting economic activities at the complex.
Recall that the capacities of the two seaports in Lagos; the Lagos Ports Complex and Tin Can Island Ports Complex both in Apapa have over the years been over-stretched, a development that got the two biggest cargo ports massively congested while those in the East, including Calabar were grossly underutilised, thus giving rise to need for some reforms.
Statistics released by the authority from the Shipping Position of the Calabar Pilotage District for Wednesday, May 13, 2020 show that the port is expecting a total of four shiploads of PMS, totaling 53,574 metric tonnes of the refined product.
Also being expected at the port are one shipload of bulk gypsum, one shipload of bulk wheat and another shipload of Low pour fuel oil LPFO, also known as black oil.
Details of the statistics show that MT Levanto, which is expected to arrive the port on May 15, 2020, will discharge a total of 8, 500 metric tonnes of PMS at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC Jetty while MT Sea Pearl, which will arrive the port on May 15, 2020, is expected to discharge a total of 15, 000 metric tonnes.
Others include MT Zee Zee, which arrived the port on May 13, 2020, is laden with 15, 074 metric tonnes of the cargo while MT Safe Sea, also laden with 15, 000 metric tonnes of petrol will arrive the port on May 15, 2020, while MV Arcadia scheduled to arrive the port on May 16, is expected to discharge 16,370 metric tonnes of bulk wheat.
Meanwhile, Pool Anchorage will discharge 15,000 metric tonnes of gypsum while a vessel called Turning Basin will arrive the port on May 15 with a total of 15,000 metric tonnes of LPFO even as Pool Anchorage, which is expected to arrive with 15,000 tonnes of bulk gypsum and another 4,849.40 metric tonnes of bulk gypsum.
The management of the NPA had recently approved a 10 per cent discount on harbour dues in all concession terminals for all container, general cargo, combo and Roll On-Roll-Off vessels that call at the Eastern Ports in line with efforts to increase patronage of the ports.
This incentive which is for vessels calling at the Calabar, Rivers and Delta Ports, was also part of deliberate moves to reduce over-concentration of cargo in the two seaports in Lagos, which facilities have been overstretched with the attendant congestion both on the roads and at the terminals.
Under the new harbour fee regime, the 10 per cent discount, which took effect last year, will only be applicable to harbour dues payable by ccontainer vessels with at least 250 Twenty Equivalent Units TEUs.
Some categories of vessels are also excluded from the incentive, which include vessels coming INBALLAST (vessels coming empty) probably to pick cargo, vessels calling at private jetties, among others.
(Business and Transport News)
