Two months after President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Seaport, the port has finally opened its doors to business as it received the first commercial vessel on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Buhari officially commissioned the newly completed Lekki Deep Seaport located at the Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos State on Monday, January 23, 2023. The official commissioning made the port eligible to begin commercial operations of receiving imports and shipping exports out from Nigeria.
A tweet by the management of the Lagos Free Zone on its official Twitter handle @LFZTolaram confirmed that Lekki Port is now open for business.
According to the tweet, Lekki Port received the first commercial vessel named GSL Alice at the port on Thursday 6th April 2023.
“Massive congratulations to @LekkiPort on the arrival of the first vessel at the port on 6th April 2023. This major milestone which marks the official start of operations at Lekki Port is truly a testament to the commitment of all the stakeholders who were involved in making this a reality,” the tweet said.
It further said that the official start of business proves that it is the beginning of many more successful arrivals and a bright future for Lekki Port at Lagos Free Zone.
The commissioning was done after the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) received the first container vessel operated by the CMA-CGM, which brought cargo to Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports and made its way to Lekki Port to take delivery of empty containers used for the shipment of the equipment used during the construction of the port.
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Kehinde Olubi-neye, the chief commercial officer of Lekki Freeport Terminal, said the port will function devoid of human interface from the entry gate to the exit gate.
According to him, the port is automated and there would not be needing human interference and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would not be needed at either the entry or the exit point of the port.
With automation, the clearing process at the port will allow the importer to do that from the comfort of his office and clear the goods online without human contact.
Olubi-neye said the terminal has five Ship to Shore cranes, 15 RTGs, 532 reefer plugs, two reach stackers, seven empty container handlers, 35 terminal tractors with 42-yard chassis, and five forklifts, making the port the most-equipped port in Nigeria and West Africa.
He said the port has put in place a truck transit park that will be commissioned before the end of this month for the smooth movement of trucks in and out of the port. He added that barges would be used for cargo movement from the port.
Olubi-neye said that the port will also run an electronic call-up system for trucks and time scheduling where code will be generated for a truck driver before they can gain entrance into the port.
He further said there are plans in place for the port to have an office in Apapa where enquiries and other related issues will be resolved.
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