Caverton, ExploMar Forge Strategic Partnership to Electrify Africa’s Waterways at Shanghai Boat Show

Caverton Marine, a subsidiary of Caverton Offshore Support Group, one of Africa’s leading marine and aviation logistics companies, has announced a strategic partnership with ExploMar to accelerate the transition to sustainable marine mobility across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership was formalised on Sunday March 29th, 2026 at the Shanghai Boat Show with the official signing of new orders covering 20 electric engines and battery systems, alongside the development of innovative onshore charging infrastructure.
The chief executive officer of Caverton Offshore Support Group, Olabode Makanjuola, the visionary behind the OMIBUS programme, described the collaboration as a defining moment for regional transportation. He noted that the partnership centres on the co-development of a standardised, scalable electric ferry platform purpose-built to meet the operational realities of African and emerging-market waterways.
“The future of Nigeria’s waterways is electric,” said Makanjuola. “Cities like Lagos are defined by water, yet millions of residents remain trapped in road congestion while vast waterway networks lie underutilised. Conventional petrol and diesel-powered ferries are costly to operate and increasingly difficult to justify in dense urban environments. This partnership sets out to validate an entirely new operating model under real-world conditions, beginning with pilot operations in Lagos, one of Africa’s most demanding and complex environments.”
At the centre of the collaboration is the next generation of the OMIBUS fleet: the OMIBUS EV 2.0. This advanced vessel marks a significant leap in power and efficiency. Its energy system drives two 300hp electric engines delivering a combined output of 600hp, powered by four 90kWh battery units for a total capacity of 360kWh, a substantial upgrade from the previous configuration of two 125kWh batteries with a combined output of 250kWh. These high-performance vessels move beyond proof of concept to directly address the economic realities of rising fuel costs while delivering zero-emission transit.
The collaboration is designed to leverage the complementary strengths of both organisations. Caverton Marine brings deep expertise in vessel design and marine operations across African waters, while ExploMar contributes advanced capabilities in electric propulsion systems and control systems.
Makanjuola highlighted China’s leadership in manufacturing scale and systems integration as central to the partnership’s ability to deliver solutions fit for emerging markets.
The overarching goal is a replicable framework in which vessels and shore infrastructure are co-designed from the ground up, producing a model that works in Lagos and can be adapted and deployed across the African continent.
The CEO of ExploMar, Alex Dong, commented: “We are proud to stand alongside Caverton as a committed partner in this transformative initiative. At ExploMar, we have long believed that the electric maritime revolution must extend beyond developed markets, Africa’s waterways represent one of the most significant and underserved opportunities in global sustainable transport. Our collaboration with Caverton is not simply a commercial arrangement; it is a shared mission to engineer solutions that are robust, affordable, and purpose-fit for the realities of African operations. The OMIBUS EV 2.0 platform reflects months of close technical collaboration, and we are confident it will set a new benchmark for electric ferry performance in emerging markets. We look forward to a long and impactful partnership as we scale this model from Lagos to the rest of the continent and beyond.”
Makanjuola affirmed that implementation is already well underway, with pilot operations in Lagos progressing as planned. He expressed Caverton’s commitment to working in close partnership with key regulatory and operational bodies, including the National Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) and the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), to ensure the seamless integration of these advanced vessels into the state’s transport network.
“This is no longer a distant vision,” he said. “The pilot is running, the platform is being built, and implementation has begun. We are building something Lagos and Africa, can be proud of.”
Group Caverton Offshore Support Group is a leading Nigerian marine and aviation logistics company with extensive experience in vessel operations, offshore support services, and maritime transportation across West Africa.
ExploMar is a specialist in high performance electric marine propulsion and control systems, committed to driving the global transition to clean, efficient, and sustainable maritime mobility.