The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has taken trade facilitation a notch higher with the berthing at the Lekki Deep Seaport of the largest container carrier to sail on Nigerian territorial waters on Sunday 21st January, 2024.
According to a statement by the NPA, the vessel measuring 367M in length overall christened “Maersk Edirne” has a Breadth of 48.2 and carried a Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of 142,131metric tonnes and a Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) of 147,340 metric tonnes, constituting 3,376 total cargo onboard was navigated to safety by the highly experienced and thoroughly equipped Pilots of the NPA.
The statement further disclosed that the development validates the assurances given by the Managing Director/CEO Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko during the signing of the Presidential/Ministerial Performance Bond in December 2023, where he stated that the Authority under his watch was poised to provide the leadership and technical guidance required to maximize the potentials inherent in Nigeria’s marine and blue economy.
The NPA Boss, Bello Koko commended the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola for the consistent support and endorsement of the Authority’s initiatives and investments in employee upskilling and equipment renewal which according to him, made this milestone possible.
The NPA noted that before this latest arrival, the largest commercial vessels to sail on Nigerian waters were “MV Stadelhorn” and “MSC Maureen” at Onne Port and TinCan Island Port Complexes respectively. Therefore the berthing of a ship measuring 367 meters at Lekki Deep Seaport represents a quantum leap forward, the statement added.
The Lekki Deep Seaport was commissioned last January by then President Muhammadu Buhari. The $1.5 billion port complex is billed as the biggest deep Seaport in Sub-Saharran Africa. It aims to establish Nigeria as a maritime hub in the gulf of Guinea.