NPA Suspends Ticket Issuance, Protesting Workers Shut APM Terminal

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has disclosed that the Electronic Call-up for trucks (ETO) ticket for cargoes bound for the AP Moller Terminal in Apapa has been suspended.

This followed yesterday’s protest by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) against non-compliance of international oil companies to the Stevedoring regulations issued by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Stevedoring refers to the act of loading or offloading cargo to and/or from a ship.

During the protest at the APM Terminals, Apapa, Lagos, the placard-carrying workers shut disrupted operations at the terminal by shutting down the entry and exit gates.

The workers had earlier issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and NIMASA starting last Friday to get the IOCs to comply with the statutory regulations.

The union warned that failure of the federal government and its agencies to caution the IOCs on or before the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum would lead to mass strike actions at the ports, terminals, jetties, and other cargo handling locations in the country.

But in its reaction to the protest, the NPA tweeted that ETO (Electronic Call-up for trucks) ticket for cargoes bound for the AP Moller Terminal in Apapa has been suspended.

The agency tweeted, “Following a dispute with the management of AP Moller Terminals at the Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa, members of the Maritime Workers Union have today, April 15, disrupted operations at the terminal.

“While the NPA is working toward resolving the dispute between the two parties, APMT will not be able to receive or exit cargoes for the next 24 hours.

“The authority hereby urges stakeholders to please take note, as ETO tickets will not be issued to APMT bound cargoes.”