New Telegraph

Inland transportation’ll trigger devt, says Akerele

After about 30 years of inactivity, Onitsha River Port recently it’s first cargoes transported from Lagos by barges in what promises to boost commercial activities in the South East and reduce the Apapa gridlock. PAUL OGBUOKIRI reports that for big time importers from the region the Port could be a big relief for importers from the South East who have over the years moved their trade goods from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar Ports by road

 

There was applause for the Federal Government when it recently commenced moving containers by barges to the Onitsha River Port. Observers see this as a good omen, expressing hope that this should just be a step towards the establishment of a number of River Ports that will allow for some inland waterways transportation and commerce to move off the roads and out of the air.

 

The Niger River has been identified as one of the inland waterways in Africa that has the potential of expanding transport and commercial activities in the region, however, across the continent; water transport is the “weakest link” in the transport system.

 

With the bulk of the Niger River located within Nigeria, improved use and accessibility of the River needs to happen here first for a transformation of commerce in the south eastern part of Nigeria which will have immense regional multiplier effect and boost the economy.

 

 

The inland waterways segment of the transportation network is often out of sight, out of mind, but has the ability for example to quietly move more than 624 million tons of ‘building block’ commodity freight annually for use in this country and for export.

 

Because of the absence of this critically important mode, Nigeria’s roadways are constantly battered, even as the nation’s global economic competitiveness is eroded and quality of life is on the low.

 

But it is the belief of Mrs. Ify Anazonwa – Akerele, former director general of Nigeria Chamber of Shipping (NCS) that barge transportation can keep Nigeria moving: “More than 60 per cent of the nation’s farm produce, grains for exports, 30 per cent of our domestic petroleum and petroleum products, can be moved on our nation’s waterways.”

 

She said just one 15-barge tow of dry bulk cargo can keep 1,050 trucks off Nigeria’s already over-crowded highways. Mrs. Anazonwa-Akerele also says that the economy will prosper when logistics costs fall, adding that barge transportation helps the farmers, importers and business men to move goods easily and cheaply.

 

According to her, farmers, utility workers, steel workers, builders, shippers, tugboat crews, port workers, laborers, terminal operators, and many others will rely on the waterways transportation to sustain good Nigerian jobs.

Inland waterways transportation has a lower carbon footprint and generates fewer carbon dioxide emissions than rail or truck for each ton of cargo compared to transporting that same cargo by these other modes.

 

Energy efficiency: Barges can move one ton of cargo 576 miles on one gallon of fuel — more than 100 miles more than rail transport and 400 miles more than truck transport. Inland waterways system includes hundreds of miles of commercially navigable channels.

 

The Nigerian inland waterway can culminate into a marine highway to move commerce to and from 20 states throughout the nation’s heartland, the south-south through to the North, and serve industrial and agricultural centres, facilitate imports and exports between the six geopolitical zones.

 

According to Mrs. Anazonwa-Akerele, Inland waterways transport has a low injury and fatality record compared to trucking, adding that Nigeria’s navigable waterways system has an abundance of unused capacity, the question is how can we move the products to all parts of Nigeria most efficiently and with fewer societal impacts? Via the waterways!

 

The former NCS boss in a recent paper in Lagos lamented that Calabar Port which would have helped was deserted because of the low cap of the Ikom Bridge and rampant robbery cases Delta Seaport which is nearer to the East was also faced with piracy and other hostilities that have affected the fortunes of the seaport

 

She said poor road network and security concerns have been problematic for importers who have to transport their goods to far distances.

 

She noted that the Onitsha Inland Port is expected to handle containers going to the East, which will be loaded from Lagos, Calabar or Port Harcourt Ports, it would reduce high cargo traffic in Lagos Port and serve as an alternative to Lagos Port. Container Barge Feeder Service

 

The emphasis of the container feeder service is to determine the diversion of truck traffic from the congested Lagos Port, Warri Port and Port Harcourt to water borne travel as an alternate mode of transportation to Onitsha Port through barges.

 

With this new development of the Onitsha Port, there is great potential for a container barge feeder service along the Onitsha trade route. As it is well known, Onitsha has proven to be one of the busiest cities in Africa.

 

The Federal Government is currently undergoing projects to dredge other inland waterways in Nigeria which would enhance the potential of the container barge feeder service.

 

The method of container barge service considered to be used at the ports is the Lift ON/ Lift OFF (LO/LO).

 

From the cost analysis, a barge can load up to 57 containers and a 15-barge can load up to 866 containers at tare weight. Instead of running 57 or 866 trucks carrying 1 container each by road, a barge can make just one journey of the same amount of containers at a cheaper price.

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