APM Terminals Apapa Wins NPA Award on Safety

Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa has received the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Platinum Merit Award for its excellent performance in Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) issues. 

The HSE award came a few days after APM Terminals was presented with the award of Terminal Operator of the Year by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in December. 

The HSE Awards is an annual event to acknowledge and honour port operators within the Lagos Ports Complex that have distinguished themselves in area of health, safety and environment compliance.

APM Terminals Apapa received the highest award, Platinum Merit Award, for its continuous excellent performance at the port. 

Terminal Manager, Steen Knudsen, thanked NPA for recognising the terminal’s efforts.

He said, “In 2020, we began a transformation journey, changing fundamentally how we do things in APM Terminals. All aspects of our business are being transformed, our infrastructure, our processes, service delivery and the development of our people. The NPA HSE Merit Award is a testament of this transformation.

“Ensuring that everyone goes home safe after work is paramount for us. Furthermore, it enables us to be more efficient and give our customers a better experience, while adding more value to the Nigerian economy.”

APM Terminals Apapa has received several commendations and honours not just for its efficiency but also for its sterling safety records. Last year, the terminal set a new safety record at the port, as it logged 500 days without Lost Time Injury (LTI). 
No Lost Time Injury (LTI) means no injury was sustained on the job by an employee or contractor that resulted in the person being away from work due to his or her injury. 

In addition, the terminal has adopted more environmentally friendly processes in keeping with its green agenda. Last year, it signed an MoU with FREEE Recycle Limited, to recycle its used tyres and eliminated the use of single-use plastic bottled water in order to reduce its plastic waste footprint. 

Government Relations Manager at APM Terminals Apapa, Kayode Olufemi Daniel, who received the award on behalf of the company, said, “We are so excited that we have received the 2022 Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos Ports Complex, HSE Committee Merit Award. This great honour is a demonstration of our continued commitment to improving health, safety and environment, not just within the terminal but also within the port facility.” 

Since it commenced operation at the Lagos Port Complex in 2006, APM Terminals Apapa has invested more than $438 million in developing infrastructure, acquiring equipment and improving processes at the port. 

The terminal is in the forefront of digitisation of port operations in Nigeria. 

In March 2022, it commissioned a new digitalised administrative building in line with its commitment of introducing new innovations to help both shipping lines and landside customers achieve improved supply chain efficiency and flexibility in a cost-effective manner. The building is the first of its kind, thereby setting a new standard for port operation in Nigeria. 

The digital technology embedded in the smart building has improved container handling operations and processing in the terminal particularly in enabling electronic invoicing, electronic receipt and online payment processes that allow customers fast-track their documentation.