Obong Of Calabar Calls For Urgent Dredging Of Seaport
By Fredrick Wright
The Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, has urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to fast track the dredging of Calabar seaports.
The monarch made the call during a courtesy visit by the Managing Director, NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko to his palace today (Saturday).
He said the waterways had been their highway and their forefathers had been taking care of it.
“Unfortunately, activities there were killed suddenly and everything died in Calabar. We have been crying for sometime and we believe that the game changer (Bello-Koko) as he is being called will make the change for us.
“I appeal that this should not be political but critical. Do something, take the other way round to ensure that things work well for us in Calabar” he urged the NPA boss.
Meanwhile, Bello-Koko assured of plans to revive Calabar Port and pleaded with him to speak with his community on ensuring that the equipment, buoys needed for navigation on the waterways are safe.
“I have come to thank you for your support and cooperation that we have been getting with the community and to intimate you of our activities that will bring more life, economic activity to the society and the kingdom,” he said.
Earlier, Bello-Koko had commended Ecomarine team for their ingenuity to drive traffic to Calabar port despite the shallow water challenges and pledged to fix the seaport to the benefit of Nigerians.
He said he will sit with the major stakeholders soonest and work out the incentives to terminal operators and the shipping public in a manner that it would trickle down to ordinary Nigerians.
This is coming as Ecomarine Terminals Limited (ECM) historically berthed a general cargo vessel laden with 204 gas-powered heavy-duty trucks and 22,000 cubic meters of pipes, and some containers, among others.
Koko said: “We will do whatever it takes to get Calabar port to work. We already have a tug boat that is coming here, we wanted it to come together with some marine vessels that we imported. We have secured approval already from Nigeria Customs. We will work with you to make sure Calabar becomes more viable and more competitive, and that is a commitment from me and my team,”
He said: “We need to sit with the liners too to see how to increase the concessionary rate and ensure that this trickles down to Nigerians. You have no reason to send a container to Lagos and pay millions when you know that when you come to Calabar you will pay lesser,” he said.
Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer, ECM, Adedayo Balogun, sought support from NPA to make Calabar port more attractive to shipping lines and importers.
He said the port has faced challenges of draft limitations for several years along with towage issues which have discouraged some shipping lines from calling Calabar port.
He said: “The liners are asking for ridiculous concession. For them, it cost more to take their vessel to Calabar than to take it to sister ports because of the challenges of draft. So, what we do is to attract them with a very low tariff. You will be surprised that the tariff we operate was the tariff approved by NPA since 2007”.
Balogun said the NPA should increase the rebate to shipping line to about 30% so as to attract them.
“The 10% rebate is grossly inadequate, the port was giving 30% rebate before the concession, and the challenges that made them introduce the rebate are still there. We as a company has continued to give them rebate, but we need NPA to also support it, so as to attract the liners, ” he said.
