By Yemi Olakitan
The largest container terminal in Nigeria, APM Terminals, Apapa, was given the Platinum Merit Award by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for its outstanding work in HSE-related matters. In December 2022, APM Terminals received the HSE award just a few days after being named the Terminal Operator of the Year by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN).
The HSE Awards are an annual ceremony to recognise and honour port operators who have excelled in areas of health, safety, and environmental compliance within the Lagos Ports Complex.
The Platinum Merit Award, the highest honour, was given to APM Terminals Apapa for its consistently outstanding performance in the port. Steen Knudsen, the terminal’s manager, thanked NPA for acknowledging the terminal’s efforts. He declared, “In 2020, we started a transformation journey, changing the way we operate at APM Terminals fundamentally. Our infrastructure, processes, service delivery, and employee development are all undergoing major transformations. Our top priority is ensuring that everyone arrives home safely from work. Additionally, it helps us operate more effectively and provide better customer service while boosting the Nigerian economy. APM Terminals Apapa has won numerous awards and accolades for both its efficiency and its excellent safety records. When the terminal reported 500 days without a Lost Time Injury last year, it broke the port’s previous record for safety (LTI). No Lost Time Injury (LTI) is the absence from work due to an injury that was not caused by an employee’s or contractor’s performance on the job.
In keeping with its green objective, the terminal has also implemented more environmentally friendly processes. In order to reduce its plastic waste impact, it inked an MoU with FREEE Recycle Limited last year to recycle its used tyres and stopped using single-use plastic water bottles.
Kayode Olufemi, the manager of government relations at APM Terminals Apapa “We are really happy that we have received the 2022 Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos Ports Complex, HSE Committee Merit Award,” said Daniel, who accepted the honour on behalf of the business. This wonderful honour demonstrates our ongoing dedication to enhancing health, safety, and the environment throughout the port facility, not just inside the terminal.
APM Terminals Apapa has committed more than $438 million in creating infrastructure, acquiring equipment, and enhancing port procedures since it started operating at the Lagos Port Complex in 2006.
The terminal is at the vanguard of Nigeria’s port operations becoming fully digitalized.
In keeping with its goal to providing new innovations to assist both shipping lines and landside customers in achieving better supply chain efficiency and flexibility in a cost-effective manner, it commissioned a new digitalized administrative facility in March 2022. The facility is the first of its sort, creating a new benchmark for Nigerian port operations.
The smart building’s digital technology has enhanced container handling operations and processing, especially by enabling electronic invoicing, electronic receipts, and online payment processes that let clients expedite their paperwork.
