APM Terminals Restores Rail Service after 16 Years (Nigeria)

Following a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, twenty forty-foot containers departed APM Terminals’ Apapa Container Terminal by train as regular rail service between the terminal, the busiest in West Africa, and distant interior inland facilities recommenced after a 16-year suspension.

The ribbon was cut by Alhaji Kawu Baraje, the Chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Board, representing Senator Idris Umar, Nigeria’s Minister of Transport.

“The restoration of regular rail service is a key milestone in our plans to continue growth here at Apapa and throughout Nigeria” said APM Terminals Apapa Interim Managing Director Andrew Dawes, who officially assumes the post this month.

Three years ago, APM Terminals Apapa announced the completion of the new rail line linking the terminal to the national rail system at a cost of N87.8 million ($541,000 USD) as part of over $200 million USD it has invested in the facility since 2006. The NRC has recently added four new 1,800 horsepower Class 23 locomotives to its locomotive fleet which will also play a large role in the new service, which will run three times per week, with 20 rail cars moving a total of 20-40 containers at a time to inland container depots at Kaduna 730 km (455 miles) and Kano, 960 km (600 miles) from the port.

APM Terminals Apapa is Africa’s largest mobile harbor crane port and had throughput in 2012 of 618,000 TEU. An additional $135 million USD has been committed to expand the annual throughput at the terminal to 1.2 million TEU by early next year. APM Terminals has also proposed the development of a new modern multi-purpose port at Badagry, 55 km (34 miles) from the City of Lagos, with container, bulk, petrochemical and Ro/Ro cargo-handling capability.

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APM Terminals, September 4, 2013