The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said it would sustain the dredging of the approaches to all Nigerian ports to enable more vessels with bigger draughts to call at the nation's ports.
The Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday during the inaugural call of one of Maersk Line’s West Africa Maximum (WAFMAX) vessels to Onne port in Rivers State.
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said it would sustain the dredging of the approaches to all Nigerian ports to enable more vessels with bigger draughts to call at the nation's ports.
The Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday during the inaugural call of one of Maersk Line’s West Africa Maximum (WAFMAX) vessels to Onne port in Rivers State.
Abdullahi said that the Federal Government had approved the dredging of some ports in Lagos as well as Bonny Channels and Calabar Port to enable bigger vessels to sail into those ports.
Abdullhi said that the ship had capacity for 4,500 TEUs, even as he disclosed that the ships call was part of government’s plans to decongest Lagos ports.
“The NPA management has been on this project since 2007 to decongest Lagos ports and reduce level of transferring containers to eastern part of the country," Abdullahi said.
He said that the Onne Port had been experiencing relative competition recently which had made many operators to invest in the Nigerian maritime sector.
On his part, the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, assured that henceforth, the port would receive ships from Europe and Asia.
He said that with the development; the nation was in the right direction to becoming the transport and economic hub of West Africa and Central Africa.
Umar, who represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Nebolisa Emodi, said with the large shipment of goods to the port, the cost of importation and goods would reduce.
"The Bonny channel dug 12m deep, will enable international ships with the capacity to carry 4, 500 containers anchor at the Onne Port, thereby boosting economic activities in the area.
"With this development, vessels from local ports around the region and from neighbouring countries will now use Lagos and Onne as trans-shipment port.
"This means that when big vessels arrive here, smaller vessels can transfer the goods to local ports and ports around neighbouring countries.
"The advantage of bringing 4, 500 containers in one trip is to reduce cost of importation and as such, make goods cheaper for consumers," he said.
The minister also said that President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the dredging of Calabar, Lekki and Badagry (Lagos), Ege (Bayelsa), Olokola (Ondo), and Ibaka (Akwa Ibom) channels to enable them to take large shipments from abroad.
He said that when completed, the seaports would accommodate all kinds of vessels and thus make the nation the transport hub for large ship consignment in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Managing Director of Maersk Line, Mr Jan Thorhauge, said the company initially transported 2, 500 containers to Onne Port because the Bonny channel was shallow.
He said the increase in volume of containers would reduce the time spent in importing goods from China and increase the trade volume between Nigeria and China.
“Nigeria currently imports about 50 per cent of its goods from China and so better times are ahead for the nation,” he said.
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