The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has recorded a major milestone in the country’s maritime sector by berthing the first wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel, MV Ocean Dragon.
The Authority announced the feat on its official X handle on Friday and restated its unwavering commitment to unlocking Nigeria’s marine and blue economy’s full potential for national development.
The vessel, owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, has a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot-Equivalent Units (TEUs) and is set to operate mostly across the West African seaports, servicing ports in several countries including Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, and South Africa.
The feat by the NPA is expected to boost current efforts by the Federal Government and the organized private sector (OPS) in investment geared towards ensuring cost and time-saving benefits of short-sea shipping.
By offering an efficient alternative to road transport, the MV Ocean Dragon will help reduce logistics costs and increase revenue for the country.
Speaking on the investment and its benefits, Vice President of Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, Bernadine Eloka, said the acquisition of the vessel represented a major solution to the high-risk, road-dominated movement of cargoes within Nigeria and a strategic move to deepen regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
According to him, with the vessel now set for operations, the company aims to offer more efficient intra-African shipping services while opening up new business opportunities across ports in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and other countries
In his remarks, the company’s Managing Director, Mustafa Mohammed, said the company would take aggressive steps to compete with global vessel owners, such as Maersk Line and MSC by leveraging its status as Nigeria’s first indigenous shipping liner.
To ensure its seamless operations, the company has already secured bookings for 1,300 export containers and is helping farmers and manufacturers avoid losses caused by delays and lack of containers.
Similarly, the NPA’s Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, hinted about a fresh injection of $60 million in investments towards the establishment of eco-friendly ports developments and which “is expected to catalyze the Authority’s renewed orientation towards Nigerian content development.”
He described the berthing of MV Ocean Dragon as a testament to the NPA’s relentless commitment towards deepening efficiencies required for maximizing Nigeria’s marine and blue economy potential for national socioeconomic gains.
