In a landmark development for Nigeria’s maritime sector, Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited has unveiled a fully Nigerian-owned container vessel, MV Clarion Ocean Dragon, poised to transform domestic and regional cargo movement and deepen indigenous participation in maritime trade.
Clarion Shipping currently operates two ocean-going barges and five coastal barges but sees MV Ocean Dragon as a game-changer in terms of volume, speed, and safety. The company says it is optimistic that the investment will yield returns within two years, provided supportive government policies are in place.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony held at the 5-Star Logistics Terminal, Tin Can Island Port in Lagos on Wednesday, the Vice President of Clarion Shipping, Mrs. Bernadine Eloka, described the acquisition as a strategic move to address long-standing logistics and connectivity challenges within Nigerian ports and across West African maritime corridors.
According to her, the MV Clarion Ocean Dragon, with a capacity of 349 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), was acquired to provide seamless, waterborne container transport services from port to port within Nigeria—an alternative to the increasingly congested and risky road networks. The vessel headed by Captain Deddy Febinyanto has over 70% of the crew onboard as Nigerians, a deliberate move to build capacity and confidence in indigenous talent.
Eloka highlighted that MV Ocean Dragon was built in China and acquired through support from Nigerian financial institutions, despite prevailing challenges in vessel financing. While commending Five Star Logistics/Comet Shipping, Sharaf Shipping and Sallaum lines for their support in making this feat a reality, she praised the banks for backing the project after seeing its viability, although she noted that high-interest rates driven by national monetary policies remain a significant burden.
“The biggest challenge was funding. Raising capital for a vessel in Nigeria is no joke,” she said. “We didn’t get single-digit loans; the rates are double or even triple digits. But the banks saw the vision, believed in us, and supported us.” she noted.
Beyond Nigeria’s coastline, the vessel is also designed to service nearby West African countries such as Ghana, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, and even long-haul destinations like Egypt and South Africa. Eloka revealed that bookings have already been made for destinations including Ghana, Algeria, and Lome.
“The vessel is actually bought to provide a solution. Rather than trucking containers from Lekki to Tin Can, Apapa, Onne, or Calabar, Ocean Dragon can move up to 349 containers within two days, efficiently and safely through Nigerian coastal waters.”
In what marks another milestone for the company, Eloka also announced that a second, larger vessel—NB-778—co-owned through a partnership with a Chinese shipping firm, is scheduled to depart Chengdao Port in China on July 27, heading directly to Nigeria.
She further stressed that the acquisition is in line with Nigeria’s Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act, as MV Ocean Dragon is a fully Nigerian-flagged and Nigerian-crewed container liner. “We have complied with all Cabotage requirements—NIMASA, NPA, NIWA, Customs—everything. Now, we are waiting on the government to fully-implement the Cabotage law and reserve these services for indigenous operators.”
Eloka appealed to the Federal Government to enforce exclusive rights for Nigerian-owned vessels in coastal shipping, particularly in container movement between key domestic ports. “Let the government stop foreign shipping lines from moving cargo from Lekki to Tin Can or Calabar. That should be for Nigerians.”
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Suncity Terminal Logistics, Mustafa Muhammed, a sister company revealed that Clarion Shipping is not only offering a unique container shipping service from China to Lagos, but has also developed a full logistics network to move empty containers into the North, support exporters, and return filled boxes for outbound shipping.
According to Muhammed, over 1,300 export containers have already been mobilized through Clarion’s infrastructure, with 800 branded Clarion containers distributed across northern cities including Kano, Kaduna, Zaria, Yola, and Bauchi. These containers are filled with agricultural and industrial exports, then transported to Lagos using Clarion’s fleet of over 150 trucks, or via rail through a strategic partnership with the Nigerian Railway Corporation.
“The challenge with other shipping lines is that they don’t provide empty containers to the North. Exporters have to truck their goods to Lagos, which costs up to ₦4 million. But Clarion has changed that. Our model sends empty containers to the North, loads them there, and brings them back for export—saving cost, time, and reducing spoilage.” he said.
Muhammed emphasized that Clarion is a government-recognized processing export terminal, which allows it to seal containers directly from upcountry depots and move them to the port without additional bottlenecks. He added that Clarion’s warehouses—one with a capacity of 3,000 metric tons and another of 1,500—also provide needed storage support for exporters.
On the international front, Muhammed announced that Clarion will soon launch a higher-capacity vessel—carrying up to 1,700 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) to complement its growing West African shipping services. The new vessel, a feeder mother ship, will ply key West African trade corridors from Lome (Togo) to Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Accra (Ghana), and onward to Lagos.
In an emotional and inspiring account, Ada Eloka, the recently appointed Managing Director of Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, shared the behind-the-scenes journey that led to the arrival of MV Clarion Ocean Dragon.
Eloka, who assumed office in January 2025, revealed that managing the acquisition and delivery of the 349-TEU vessel from China to Lagos was her very first major assignment—an experience she described as both challenging and fulfilling.
“The vessel left China on April 17 and arrived in Lagos on July 1, taking about 60 days at sea. When I saw the video of the vessel arriving this morning, I literally started crying. It was overwhelming—just knowing all we went through to get here,” she recounted.
She disclosed that the entire process was filled with logistical and communication hurdles, especially coordinating between Chinese and Nigerian stakeholders, given the language barriers. “Because Chinese people don’t speak English, and we don’t speak Chinese, we had to rely heavily on technology for communication,” Eloka explained.
One of the most significant challenges came mid-journey when the crew had to divert back to Malaysia due to engine issues. Despite such setbacks, Eloka and her team remained undeterred. “We fixed it and kept going. It wasn’t easy, but today is a testimony that the effort was worth it.” Eloka noted.
