As part of efforts to ensure Nigerian ports optimize the efficiency derived from a good Port Community System (PCS), experts have highlighted the need for operators to maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) that guide their activities.
This was one of the recommendations at the 4th JournalNG Port Industry Town Hall meeting, in Apapa, Lagos; as maritime experts posited that clear SOPs would guide the activities of operators and outline the roles of port users.
According to maritime eggheads at the summit, these SOPs should be available to port users and they should be frequently reviewed with stakeholders’ input, especially those who engage the respective agencies in day-to-day operations.
Meanwhile, the summit also underscored the need for the federal government to provide uninterrupted power supply within the port environment to curb the menace of frequent server breakdown and related challenges during power outage.
The Town Hall meeting equally suggested that the port sector should prioritize data collection and data analysis in planning for port infrastructure growth and policy formulation.
Noting the frequent changes in the lead agency for managing PCS from Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and vice versa, the conference advised the federal government to stick with a lead agency, even as the summit proposed an independent agency responsible for dissemination of information to ship captains aside the port regulators.
Other recommendations proposed at the summit were; that government agencies in the port sector should share information to eliminate redundancy among players in the port community; that PCS should engender mechanism to facilitate trade with the use of ICT as an enabler.
Experts also advised that honest cargo declaration be prioritized by importers, licensed customs agents, freight forwarders and other players such that manifests should be accurate; while they advised that PCS should bring together players in the port sector to sanitize cargo clearance procedures.
The summit also advocated for: “Overlapping functions of government agencies should be addressed and stakeholders must be sensitized regularly and there is a need for the government to provide an efficient transit system which can provide about 5,000 jobs”
“NPA and Webb Fontaine should synergise more robustly to achieve operational efficiency with regards to PCS with set timelines and regular stakeholders meetings should be held on the PCS and related matters”
“Knowledge transfer should also emanate from freight agents to Customs officials as some freight agents have gathered vast experience on Customs clearing processes having spent several years in the profession.”
