Onne Port receives largest containership for second time in 3 months

KOTA CEMPAKA, the largest containership to visit Nigeria’s eastern port, has again visited Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT), on its second port call three months after the initial visit.

Owned by Pacific International Lines (PIL), the 300-metre-long ship can carry 6,600 Twenty-foot equivalent Units (TEUs) of containers.

The ship made its maiden visit to the Onne Port on April 27, 2024, when it loaded and discharged over 2,000 containers full of Nigerian imports and exports.

The vessel was received on its historic second voyage on Monday, August 5, 2024, by Nigerian Ports Authority and Onne Multipurpose Terminal officials.

Jim Stewart, chief operating officer of OMT Onne, expressed gratitude to the NPA for ensuring that the vessel was able to berth successfully.

Stewart said the visit of KOTA CEMPAKA to Nigeria will support the efforts of the Federal Government to diversify the country’s economic base by boosting non-oil exports.

He said it would also generate more revenues into the coffers of the government.

“We are excited that this very large container ship has been able to return in three months. This is a mark of confidence in Nigeria, in NPA and the professionalism of the Onne Multipurpose Terminal.

“The arrival of such large vessels is part of a global trend where shipping lines are upscaling vessel sizes to achieve economies of scale and reduce transport costs for importers and exporters,” Stewart said.

He commended Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the NPA, and the Port Manager of Onne Port Complex, for making the port channels navigable and equipping the NPA harbours department to handle such large ships.

“We are proud of this milestone. We started operations only three years ago and are happy to contribute to reducing vessel waiting times in Onne Port while doubling container capacity and enhancing competition to benefit all customers.

“We are investing in new equipment, including more modern cranes, to handle even bigger vessels. We have also acquired trucks and lands for expansion,” he added.

Also speaking, Hussein Abdulrahmon, Onne Port manager, who represented the Managing Director of NPA at the brief reception for the container ship, said KOTA CEMPAKA brought more cargo on the second voyage to the port than it brought during its first call.

He lauded the terminal operator and other stakeholders for the berthing, discharging and loading of the vessel.

The Onne Multipurpose Terminal handles containerised, oil and gas, and other cargo types. It is the first terminal of call at the Onne Port Complex, located in Onne’s Oil and Gas Free Zone, and is an efficient gateway to Africa’s largest oil production region and Nigeria’s major hinterland markets.

The sprawling Onne Port Complex – one of the world’s largest Oil and Gas Free Zones – robustly serves both onshore and offshore activities, while providing efficient access to oil fields in West Africa and the sub-Saharan region.