BY EMEKA MAMAH

About 13 ships are now waiting to berth at the Lagos ports while 15 others are being offloaded at the various terminals following disruption of activities as a result of a one-week strike by tanker drivers in the state last week.

Tanker drivers under the aegis of National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, in Lagos State, embarked on strike following disagreements with the state government over parking space, leading to non-offloading of ships throughout the week.

However, by the time work started on Monday, several ships had been stranded in the high sea as they were unable to access any of the terminals for berthing and subsequent offloading of goods.

At the Green View (Dangote) Terminal yesterday, two ships were being offloaded having been allowed to berth, while six others were being offloaded at the ENL Terminal just as three others were being offloaded at the AP Molar Terminal among others.

A port official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Vanguard that ‘’13 ships are waiting outside the anchorage for space to anchor and discharge of their goods,’’ adding that the high number of ships waiting to anchor was as a result of the face-off between the Lagos State government and NARTO over parking space.

The source said that ‘’each tanker driver who takes away any container of goods must bring back the empty container after removing his goods.’’

He however, said that problems arise when such tankers bring back the container as was not allowed to entre the wharf because of space and they then park their long vehicles indiscriminately oustside the gates, causing untold hardship to road users.

According to him, the strike by NARTO followed a directive by the state government banning trailers from parking along the roads, as NARTO members insisted that government should provide a park for their members before asking them to keep off the road.