Tincan Port receives 4,500 vehicles after tugboat incident

Two vessels carrying a total of 4,500 vehicles berthed at Five Star Logistics Terminal last week after a tugboat sank at the terminal.

The Customs Care Manager of the terminal, Mr Chuks Okereafor, revealed this recently.

Okereafor stated that a tugboat sank between berths 10 and 11 at the terminal last week while trying to pilot a barge loaded with containers had been rescued.

The tug boat, estimated to be worth $40, 000, went under the waters at Tincan port last week, though the pilot of the boat was said to have escaped death by the whiskers.

PUNCH Online learnt that the berth where the incident happened is operated by Five Star Logistics Nigeria Limited while the tugboat belongs to Medlog, a logistics arm of one of the multinational shipping lines.

Okereafor confirmed that the tugboat had been moved out, adding that the incident did not stop operations at the terminal.

“It is a Medlog tugboat. When they were loading import containers I think the boat took in waters and then sank.

“That did not stop the operations at the terminal. It did not stop the ship from berthing. The ship completed and left. The case was reported to the NPA and for you to do such a thing, there is what we call salvaging. We have to do that and the NPA would approve it.

“So, it was between Medlog and NPA. However, it did not stop vessels from berthing. We had two vessels that discharged over 4,500 vessels after the incident. It happened between berths 10 and 11. It did not disrupt vessel operations, and it did not stop them from berthing,” he said.

According to Okereafor, the terminal was able to pull out the affected boat on Sunday.

“Finally, they were able to force salvage and almost succeeding one of the sling wires pulled off and the tugboat went down again. So, it was yesterday (Sunday) that they finally pulled it off. It was removed on Sunday,” Okereafor explained.