Assessing Port Governance, Devolution and Terminal Performance in Nigeria

Abstract

Concerns about performance and efficiency in port terminals led many national governments to embark on port reforms. The Federal government of Nigeria, for example, adopted the Landlord port model which brought about concessioning of port terminals to private operators. Despite high investments in terminal facilities by the private terminal operators, there are still complaints about level of service offered to port users. This paper applied key performance indicator metrics and parameters of queuing model in assessing performance of Nigeria's concessioned port terminals. Data for the study were obtained from terminal level records of cargo and ship handling activities for years 2000 to 2015. Major findings indicate that cargo and vessel throughputs improved after the reforms in the six ports examined. However, much variability was observed in trends in ships' turnround times across all ports after the concession policy implementation. Additional results from the queuing model analysis suggest that the high ships turnround times observed in some ports are associated to delays in ship operation at the berths. The paper recommends that policy interventions be focused on ship operations at the berths as a step in improving service level in the port terminals.

Arbitrage in Port Operation and Maritime Performance in Nigeria

“…The socioeconomic development of a nation is significantly influenced by trade, both domestic and international. However, international trade is one of the key forces (Donatus 2018). A nation's economy is said to be growing when its trade balance improves and all scale economies and trade-offs work in its favor.…”

“…Lastly, operational inefficiencies; port congestion, subpar infrastructure, and inadequate logistical systems may lead to delays and increased costs. Traders may select ports with more effective operations and quicker turnaround times in order to speed up their supply chains and boost profitability (Donatus et al, 2018). Although there are arbitrage opportunities, it's critical to solve the fundamental issues affecting port operations and Nigeria's maritime industry.…”

The dynamic programming model for optimal allocation of laden shipping containers to Nigerian seaports

“…Other expectations include improved crane productivity, cost effective outbound distribution/allocation to seaport terminals and hence reduction in ships' waiting times. In Nigeria's maritime sector, container operators, shippers and terminal operators e.g., are faced with challenges emanating from low investment in container yard facilities and multimodal transport infrastructures despite the terminal concession reforms (Onwuegbuchunam, 2018). It has therefore become critical to employ cost effective optimization models to reduce cargo container dwell times and ships' waiting times at the port.…”

Port Equipment Downtime Prediction and Lifetime Data Analysis: Evidence from a Case Study

“…The outcome of this study will find usefulness to maintenance managers in ports as this paper transmits how the maintenance manager could set optimal maintenance parametric goals. This implies that the maintenance planning work will be enhanced and the manager attains success in the control of an organization that holds the key to the national economic progress of developing countries (Onwuegbuchunam, 2018;Sharapiyeva, Antoni and Yessenzhigitova, 2019).…”