Vincent Toritseju
08 August 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — Liquid cargo is currently leading the nation’s import chart for the month of August as it recorded a total of 622,745 metric tons, shipping data from the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has indicated.
The data made available to Vanguard Maritime Report showed that Premium Motor Spirit, PMS also called petrol, led other imports with a metric tonnage of 582, 336 while Automated Gas Oil, AGO also known as diesel recorded a paltry 40,900 metric tons.
Although the monetary value of this category of cargo could not be ascertained, the data also indicated that liquid cargo will continue to dominate the chart pending when the nation’s refinery will be rehabilitated.
Other imports that topped the chart include Bulk wheat with 89,940 metric tons, which is followed by crude palm oil with 57,000 metric tons as against 47,000 metric tons of Bulk Gypsum.
For bulk sugar and steel product and fish, 46,100 and 26,189 metric tons respectively were recorded, while fish recorded 9,867.
The data also showed that a total of 4,226 containers are expected to arrive the country between the end of July and end of August.
West Atlantic, a shipping agency firm, is handling the highest proportion of the cargoes with a total of 356,926 metric tonnes of the liquid shipments through the Atlas Cove Jetty, ACJ in Lagos, Blueseas followed with 114, 503 metric tonnes of the same cargo also at the same jetty.
While A. P. Moller handled all the containerized cargoes, the majority of the Bulk wheat import went through the Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, ABLT
For the fish and Gypsum imports, will go through ENL and Greenview Development Nigeria Limited, GDNL terminals.
Besides, ENL and GDNL will also handle steel and Bulk sugar imports for the month of August.
The data also showed that a total of 19 vessels are expected to freight these cargoes into Nigeria.
