The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Sunday successfully berthed the largest container carrier ever at the Lekki Deep Seaport, thereby taking Nigeria’s trade facilitation a notch higher.
The vessel, MAERSK EDIRNE, measuring 367m in overall length, has a breadth of 48.2m 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 metric tonnes total cargo onboard was navigated to safety by the highly experienced and thoroughly equipped Pilots of the NPA.
The berthing of the large vessel validated the assurances by the Managing Director/CEO of NPA, Mr. Mohammed Bello- Koko, during the signing of the Presidential/Ministerial Performance Bond in December 2023, that “the Authority under my watch is poised to providing the leadership and technical guidance required to maximise the potential inherent in our marine and blue economy.”
Commenting on the feat, Bello- Koko thanked the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for the support and endorsement of the authority’s initiatives and investments as they related to human capital capacity building and investment in core equipment, which made the milestone achievable.
It would be recalled that before now, the largest commercial vessels to sail on Nigerian waters were “MV Stadelhorn” and “MSC Maureen” at Onne Port and Tin Can Island Port Complexes respectively.
