Maersk Nigeria Limited on Monday protested the suspension by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for not providing holding bays for empty containers.
The agency said on the contrary, it has four holding bays with storage capacity for 150 containers.
NPA had suspended the services of Maersk Line, Cosco Shipping, APS and Lansal shipping companies for 10 days for failing to provide functional holding bays.
But Maerskline said NPA management was misguided to suspend it, adding that its storage capacity of 8,150 TEUs is more than 50% of the discharge average.
The shipping line said, “Nigeria as an import dependent nation will certainly see imported containers discharged in the country in volumes and in line with the tenet of international trade.
With limited infrastructure and other alternatives for evacuation of imports, return of empties, and return of full exports, it is challenging for these containers to be adequately handled which results in the congestion of the access roads.”
