APM sets productivity record at Nigerian port

APM sets productivity record at Nigerian port    APM Terminals is touting improved productivity at its container terminal in the Nigerian port of Apapa.
   The terminal operator said that productivity records — in terms of container moves per hour — have been set for 14 consecutive vessels calling at the terminal, culminating in the call of the 2,890-TEU Maersk Pembroke, which saw a rate of 47.26 moves per hour.
   'Less than one year ago a vessel this size would have taken six days to complete,' said APM Terminals Apapa Operations Director Doug Smith.
   APM is attributing the improved performance to better training of longshoremen, yard improvements and new handling equipment. The terminal operator said productivity will be increasingly important in sub-Saharan ports.
   Apapa was privatized in 2006, with APM assuming operational control of the multiuser terminal. It now has four berths and capacity for 600,000 TEUs. The terminal handled 542,000 TEUs in 2008.