Kaduna – The Acting Director, Inland Transport Service, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr Akintunde Makinde, said on Friday that the Kaduna Dry Port and transit parks would enhance shipping and international trade.
Makinde said this while presenting a paper on: “The Emergence of Inland Dry Port in Promotion of international Trade and Enhancing Hinterland Shipping’’, in Kaduna.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the paper was presented at a one-day sensitisation seminar put together toward the successful take-off of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port.
“The development of transport infrastructural project is very significant in the conduct of international trade.
“This will impact on national economy by stimulating the export of goods in the international market and leading to cost reduction for imported goods.
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“NSC had facilitated international trade and developed various international platforms over the years which had provided opportunities for Nigerian importers and exporters,’’ Makinde said.
He said that the council had been in the vanguard of tariff regulation and ensuring the availability, quality and efficiency of service of all transport modes.
Makinde said that the concepts of inland dry port and truck transit parks were among the various interventions put together to open the vast hinterlands of the nation to the international trade arena.
He said that the NSC would ensure a level-playing field for all stakeholders in the sector.
Makinde said that the council would ensure that tariffs in the ports sector were cost-reflective and fair to both service providers and users.
He explained that NSC would ensure that disputes in the sector were resolved amicably and without prejudice.
In another paper entitled “The Imperative of Dry Port Operations in Nigeria’’, the Chairman of Inland Container Nigeria Ltd. (ICNL), Mr Temitope Borishade, said that the benefits of dry port were enormous.
Borishade said that the benefits of dry port were not only for seaport but for other transport system and society.
“In Sweden, 70 trains operate daily service to service the Port of Gothenburg and free up to 2,400 trucks from road daily.
“In USA, 25 per cent of transportation to Port of Virginia via double-stacked containers’ trains free up to 2,000 trucks on the road daily.
“Long queue at port could lead to anxiety of truck drivers, thus increased risk of accident. For example there are several queues of several hours at peak time in Gothenburg gates, ‘’ he said.
He said that with the help of dry port connection to Port of Gothenburg, trucks go in and out in just 30 minutes.
Borishade said that truck drivers never had to leave their vehicles.
He said that the features of dry port include: inter-modal terminal situated inland, rail connection to seaport, record keeping and data storage, standard hall, eatery as well as examination bay.
Borishade said that the dry port would also have operational procedures such as receipt and dispatch of cargoes; importers/exporters’ agent and consignee arranging for delivery; and there would be arrangement for billing and payment.
He said that the dry port was an inland bonded depot terminal including warehousing of cargoes to facilitate the consolidation of export as well as reception and delivery of imports and exports.
Borishade said that the dry port helped in bringing development from coastal area to hinterland and “also add value to market by increasing efficiency and convenience’’.
He said that dry port would also increase trade flows and possibly lower door to door freight charges,’’ he said.
