• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

Eastern ports gets boost as largest container ship berth in Onne Port

WACT commissions $15m new Mobile Habour Cranes, reach stackers at Onne Port

Efforts to increase cargo traffic at the ports located in the Eastern parts of the country has received a boost with the successful handling of the largest containership measuring 265 metres in length by the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) at the Onne Port Complex, Rivers State.

The ship, named JPO Volans, is the first gearless vessel and the largest containership ever to visit a seaport outside the Lagos area.

Aamir Mirza, managing director of WACT, said the German vessel brought containers to the Onne Port from the Far East Asia. He said it took only 2.75 days to turnaround the vessel at the terminal.

“This was another major achievement for Onne Port and another testament to our commitment to set new standards and serve our customers better,” Mirza said.

He said WACT was able to handle this gearless vessel by deploying its newly commissioned Mobile Harbor Cranes.

“The key achievement here was our ability to handle larger, gearless, mainline vessels that were considered only suitable for terminals in Lagos. By handling these vessels, we have not only proven to the world that East Nigerian ports are equally capable of handling large ships but have also improved the profile of Onne port globally,” he said.

Mirza said “With our major investment plans in the pipeline, this will go a long way in improving our capabilities and highlighting same to all our shipping line and landside customers.”

Recall that in September, WACT acquired two Mobile Harbor Cranes worth $10 million (N3.6 billion) to boost operation at the terminal. It also acquired 10 specialised terminal trucks and two new reach stackers to complement existing cargo handling equipment, and increase turnaround time of vessels at the port.

With the new cranes and other investments, experts believed that WACT is presently at par with its peers in Lagos ports in terms of equipment availability and operational efficiency.

“Our vision is to make WACT the best performing container terminal in West Africa. We believe we are on course to realising this vision in record time with the support of relevant authorities and stakeholders,” Aamir said.

He commended the leadership of Hadiza Bala Usman in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Port Manager Onne, Onne Harbour Master and Pilots for their support in handling the vessel.

Meanwhile, Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), recently described Onne Port as nexus to connecting the North-East, North-Central, South-South and South-East.

She said that cargoes for these sections of the country are expected to be discharged through Onne port. “We are calling on shippers to patronize Onne Port because of the friendly environment, and the synergy between the agencies of government operating at the port,” she added.

WACT, which is the first Greenfield container terminal built in Nigeria under public-private partnership, started commercial operations in 2007 and has become the most efficient Nigerian gateway to markets outside the Lagos area. It has an annual container throughput capacity of 314,000 TEUs, with 375 reefer plugs and a draft of 10.5 meters alongside.

 

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE