By UDEME CLEMENT

The concessionaires in charge of Lagos ports, APM Terminals Apapa Limited and Lilypond Container Terminal, Ijora, have offered importers waiver of accumulated storage charges of N1.3 billion in a bid to tackle congestion at the ports, explaining that the initiative was to enable importers remove their containers that had been in the ports for over a year.

The chief commercial officer of APM Terminals Apapa, Mr. Koen De Backker, said all containers, which had been at the ports for over a year, would enjoy 75 per cent waiver of accumulated storage charges.

“At present, there are over 500 containers that qualify for this waiver. The waiver is applicable only for containers that had been in the ports for over one year, and would expire on August 15, 2011”, he stressed.

“The waiver is unconditional and we urge importers to take advantage of the opportunity to promptly remove their boxes from the ports so as to avoid forfeiting them to government.

We request importers to approach the APM Terminals or Lilypond release desk to apply for this waiver”.

In June 2010, APM Terminals, in support of the Federal Government’s drive to enhance generation and distribution of electricity in the country, had, similarly, granted 70 per cent waiver of charges incurred on all longstanding National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) containers, which had been at the terminal for about three years.

The waiver was in line with the terminal operator’s policy of supporting the growth of Nigeria ’s economy and in support of government’s desire to provide uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians.