SEREC Charges FG on Political Will to Develop Onne, Calabar, P’Harcourt, Warri Seaports
OYETOLA
SEREC Charges
By Francis Ugwoke
The Sea Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC), has called for a strong political will on the part of the federal government to develop Onne, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri seaports which are all known as Eastern ports .
Noting that the seaports (Onne, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri) are more expensive than Lagos ports, SEREC pointed out that the cost difference, based on reality check, is “largely due to structural neglect and policy imbalance, not actual differences in freight or port tariffs”.
SEREC is an elite body of maritime industry stakeholders, particularly members of the freight forwarding group.
In a press statement, the Head of Research, SEREC, Dr. Eugene Nweke, called on the federal government to consider major development of the seaports in terms of more infrastructure rehabilitation and provision to address the cost associated with the area.
Specifically, Nweke said there is the need to “dredge and modernize all Eastern ports to full draft capacity”.
The group emphasized the need for full rehabilitation of the rail system and inland waterways for seamless connectivity.
“ Implement cargo-sharing policies to balance port utilization.
“ Provide incentives for shipping lines to call at Eastern ports.
“ Depoliticize port management — approach with a national economic focus, not regional bias”, he said.
Nweke added, the “expensive Eastern port” narrative is a myth born of long neglect, adding, that infrastructural attention and fair regulatory action can unlock competitiveness, reduce congestion in Lagos, and revive regional economic balance”.
On the cost side of the seaports, he identified the key factors behind the cost perception as follows:
INFRASTRUCTURE DECAY:
“ Decades of abandoned dredging and collapsed quays.
Obsolete cargo handling equipment.
Shallow draft restricts large vessels, leading to higher transshipment costs.
. POOR CONNECTIVITY:
Weak road and rail links to markets.
Insecurity and poor road conditions increase haulage and logistics costs.
. SHIPPING LINE SURCHARGES:
Shipping lines impose “insecurity” or “port differential” surcharges due to low traffic and poor facilities.
* This inflates the perceived freight cost”
.The group noted that the federal investments and modernization efforts have been biased toward Lagos, adding that “routine dredging and infrastructure maintenance are denied or delayed in the East.
According to him, “regulatory silence sustains imbalance in port patronage”.
SEREC equally said, “A subtle anti-eastern economic strategy appears to divert trade flow to Lagos for central control.
Hidden authorities resist decentralizing port operations.
Maritime politics outweighs the economic logic of decongesting Lagos ports”.
The group reminded the federal government that “globally landlocked countries spend money to construct artificial ports/cannals, and they are operationally viable, example, Dubai port. Here, we have natural harbours, but we are feigning operational excuses”.
Nweke also added out that NPA tariff structure remains uniform nationwide, while the freight cost differentials stem from: Longer vessel waiting times; Limited ship calls and weak competition; Poor hinterland connectivity raising distribution costs”.
He further said, “To put it succinctly, the Eastern ports are costlier by neglect, not by policy”.
It would be recalled that over the years the NPA had introduced a number of incentives for ships using the Eastern ports, but to stakeholders, this policy has not changed the narratives.
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