The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said a fire incident which was reported at the APMT Apapa Terminal this morning has been professionally extinguished by the NPA firemen with the help of other sister agencies in the port. The Authority disclosed in a statement that the fire which erupted from one of the APMT cranes in the Apapa terminal was put off before any damage could be done to other facilities at the port. The NPA Spokesman, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, while expressing his appreciation to the NPA firemen for their professionalism, thanked God that no life was lost in the incident; neither were any more facilities affected by the fire before it was contained by the organisation’s brave fire fighters.

Onyemekara assured port users and other stakeholders that the current Management of NPA led by Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, would continue to prioritise the safety of life and property in the Nigerian ports, even as it aims to enhance the ease of doing business in the ports. Also in a statement, APMT Apapa Terminal said, “We extend our sincere gratitude to the NPA Management and NPA Fire Service for their prompt assistance in managing the situation. We are pleased to confirm that all personnel are safe, with no injuries or fatalities reported. “The safety of our employees, partners, and the surrounding community is our top priority, and we are proud that our stringent safety measures played a critical role in preventing any harm. Operations at the terminal have not been disrupted, and we continue to operate as usual.” In a similar development, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command of Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi has commended the firemen for putting out the fire before it could cause further damage in the port. He further appreciated sister agencies in the port for their timely intervention to fight off the fire. This came as the Authority has disclosed that its Export Processing Terminals (EPTs) and Domestic Export Warehouses (DEWs) would be linked up in order to create pathways for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The Managing Director of the authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho said on Saturday at the 2024 Lagos International Trade Fair titled: ‘Connecting Businesses, Creating Value in Lagos that this would be achieved through synergy with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and relevant partners.

Also, he explained that the authority was aggressively pursuing full automation of the nation’s processes and procedures through the Ports Community System (PCS) which lays the groundwork for the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW). Dantsoho said: “As some of us are aware, in our bid to contribute to the strengthening of the domestic economy through the promotion of balance of trade we established the Export Process Terminal (EPTs) to simplify the hitherto burdensome process of exporting Nigerian goods.