Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), over the weekend, berthed Nigeria’s first-ever container vessel at the Lagos seaport.
This, it was gathered, was in readiness to maximise the gains derivable from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the NPA on 2nd July at 05:05 hours deployed its marine crafts to berth the first wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel.
The container vessel with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number 9508770, christened MV Ocean Drago, is owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited and has a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot-Equivalent Units (TEUs).
This development is coming on the heels of the announcement by the MD NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, of a fresh injection of $60 million in fresh investments towards the establishment of eco-friendly port developments catalysed by the Authority’s renewed orientation towards Nigerian content development.
Speaking to the development, the Managing Director of NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said the development was a part of the relentless effort of the federal government to deepen efficiency for maximising the nation’s business economy potential.
“This development is a testament to our relentless commitment towards deepening efficiencies required for maximising our marine and blue economy potentials in line with the prompting of the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, whose tenacity of purpose culminated in the recent FEC approval of the national policy on Marine and Blue Economy.”
On her part, Vice President of Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, Bernadine Eloka, described the acquisition as a bold solution to the high-risk, road-dominated movement of cargoes within Nigeria and a strategic move to deepen regional trade under the AfCFTA.
She said that the Clarion Group aims to offer more efficient intra-African shipping services while opening up new business opportunities across ports in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and beyond.
“We acquired MV Ocean Dragon to offer a seamless alternative to container haulage by road. Rather than struggling to move containers from Lekki to Onitsha, Port Harcourt, or Calabar by trucks, Ocean Dragon can move up to 349 containers by sea and deliver within two days from port to port,” Eloka said.
According to her, enforcement of the cabotage regime would encourage local investment, create jobs, and reduce Nigeria’s dependency on foreign-owned shipping lines.
