Shipping Company Opens Rail Hub In Ogun State

*Begins Container Haulage From Ogun To Apapa

Nigeria’s shipping and cargo logistics services provider, Hull
Blyth, has opened a rail hub at Wasimi, Ewekoro Local Government
Area of Ogun State, for use by importers and exporters.

The Wasimi Rail Hub, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria,
will allow shippers to receive and import containers from Apapa
port, and also send export or empty containers to the port by
rail.

The Managing Director of Hull Blyth, Mr Christian Holm, who
disclosed this, on Thursday, in a statement issued by the firm,
said the new rail hub will save shippers the hassles and high cost
of transporting their containers to/from the port by road.

“We started this project because we are concerned about the
pains shippers go through in moving their boxes in and out of the
Apapa port in Lagos due to the congestion on the port access
road.

“We are happy to inform all shippers in the southwest and other
parts of Nigeria that they no longer have to go through the pains
of trucking their containers to Apapa. Just send it to us at Wasimi
and we will gladly move it to Apapa port by rail.

“Importers should also simply hand over their consignments to us
at Apapa port and we will move it by rail to Wasimi from where it
will be moved to the final destination.

“It is time shippers took advantage of the rail services revived
by the federal government and relieved themselves of the stress and
high cost associated with road haulage,” Mr Holm said.

The Hull Blyth Managing Director said that empty containers
returned to the Wasimi Rail Hub will not attract demurrage, as they
will be deemed to have been returned to the shipping company.

“The rail hub brings several benefits to the trading community
and the Nigerian economy. In addition to reducing the cost
associated with trucking containers by half, it will also save
importers and their agents the money they spend on payment of
demurrage.

“This is because we have agreed with shipping lines that
containers delivered to the Wasimi Rail Hub from any part of the
country will be deemed to be returned to the shipping company and
will not attract demurrage,” he said.

He said the rail hub has commenced full operation, as the first
train of both export and empty containers has been successfully
delivered to APM Terminals at the Apapa port “within only hours of
transit from Wasimi.”

Holm said the Wasimi Rail Hub will save importers, exporters and
agents as much as 50 per cent of logistics costs since it is much
cheaper to move goods by train.

He said the Wasimi Rail Hub is the precursor to a Dry Port,
which is already under construction. When completed, the Dry Port
will have the capacity to handle up to 7,000 TEUs and will be fully
connected to Apapa port by rail.

A beneficiary of the first train service, Ms Dede Yebovi of
Quinet International expressed satisfaction with the ease of moving
export from Ogun State by rail to Apapa port. She was particularly
impressed that the service saved her company cost and provided
faster transit when compared to road haulage.

With many years of experience and a solid reputation as a
multi-sector ship agent and cargo logistics services provider, Hull
Blyth prides itself on the delivery of operational excellence and
as a reliable partner for the supply chain management.

*Begins Container Haulage From Ogun To Apapa

Nigeria’s shipping and cargo logistics services provider, Hull
Blyth, has opened a rail hub at Wasimi, Ewekoro Local Government
Area of Ogun State, for use by importers and exporters.

The Wasimi Rail Hub, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria,
will allow shippers to receive and import containers from Apapa
port, and also send export or empty containers to the port by
rail.

The Managing Director of Hull Blyth, Mr Christian Holm, who
disclosed this, on Thursday, in a statement issued by the firm,
said the new rail hub will save shippers the hassles and high cost
of transporting their containers to/from the port by road.

“We started this project because we are concerned about the
pains shippers go through in moving their boxes in and out of the
Apapa port in Lagos due to the congestion on the port access
road.

“We are happy to inform all shippers in the southwest and other
parts of Nigeria that they no longer have to go through the pains
of trucking their containers to Apapa. Just send it to us at Wasimi
and we will gladly move it to Apapa port by rail.

“Importers should also simply hand over their consignments to us
at Apapa port and we will move it by rail to Wasimi from where it
will be moved to the final destination.

“It is time shippers took advantage of the rail services revived
by the federal government and relieved themselves of the stress and
high cost associated with road haulage,” Mr Holm said.

The Hull Blyth Managing Director said that empty containers
returned to the Wasimi Rail Hub will not attract demurrage, as they
will be deemed to have been returned to the shipping company.

“The rail hub brings several benefits to the trading community
and the Nigerian economy. In addition to reducing the cost
associated with trucking containers by half, it will also save
importers and their agents the money they spend on payment of
demurrage.

“This is because we have agreed with shipping lines that
containers delivered to the Wasimi Rail Hub from any part of the
country will be deemed to be returned to the shipping company and
will not attract demurrage,” he said.

He said the rail hub has commenced full operation, as the first
train of both export and empty containers has been successfully
delivered to APM Terminals at the Apapa port “within only hours of
transit from Wasimi.”

Holm said the Wasimi Rail Hub will save importers, exporters and
agents as much as 50 per cent of logistics costs since it is much
cheaper to move goods by train.

He said the Wasimi Rail Hub is the precursor to a Dry Port,
which is already under construction. When completed, the Dry Port
will have the capacity to handle up to 7,000 TEUs and will be fully
connected to Apapa port by rail.

A beneficiary of the first train service, Ms Dede Yebovi of
Quinet International expressed satisfaction with the ease of moving
export from Ogun State by rail to Apapa port. She was particularly
impressed that the service saved her company cost and provided
faster transit when compared to road haulage.

With many years of experience and a solid reputation as a
multi-sector ship agent and cargo logistics services provider, Hull
Blyth prides itself on the delivery of operational excellence and
as a reliable partner for the supply chain management.