Master mariner prescribes efficient intermodal transport system to boost Nigeria’s maritime industry

 Iheanacho made the suggestion in an interview in Lagos.

He said the Nigerian maritime industry had huge untapped potential for growth
and economic development  if the various
modes of transportation were properly interlinked.

He said it would be beneficial to properly develop a space in Apapa that used
to be railway compound in Lagos to link the sea by modern railway system for
easy cargo movement.

“It will be a great thing if we have an intermodal transport system, an
efficient one, so that we would have interface between the ports, rail and
road.

“There is a huge area, I think it is behind Flour Mills, it used to be the
Railways compound that could actually be pulled up, and they take out all those
things and develop a proper intermodal rail-to-sea
transport interchange.

“It will absolutely impact positively on the quality of life of those who live
and work in Apapa.

“Because then, you’d have a situation where containers could be discharged,
they are cleared, they put on rail, they are then taken all the way to the
north, to the east, to the west.

“We haven’t been developing our transport system thoroughly; the potential are
there but they are not fully realised.

“So, I really think that we should try and interface the transport modes of
sea transport with land and rail transport.’’

Iheanacho recommended that models be used to interrogate plans and see how they
could work before being put to practical terms.

According to him, such models will instantly show likely errors and give the
best options workable for each environment.

He said the maritime industry worked on a platform of interconnectivity of
sections for efficient service delivery and “obviously not in separate parts
on their own.’’