After a $20 million investment in terminal expansion and equipment acquisition, the largest container-roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ship to visit West African Port made its first commercial voyage to Lagos with containerised cargo and vehicles for the Nigerian market.
The vessel, named MV ‘Great Lagos’, visited the Port Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML) in Tin-Can Island Port and was received on Monday by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos and Adegboyega Oyetola, minister of Marine and Blue Economy in the company of heads of agencies in the ministry among other dignitaries.
MV Great Lagos, owned by the Grimaldi Group, made its maiden call to Nigeria, and it discharged its Nigerian-bound goods at the PTML located at the Tin-Can Island Port Complex, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu, who Obafemi Hamzat represented, deputy governor said the visit of the MV Great Lagos to Tin-Can Port is an expression of confidence in the international community in Nigeria.
He also commended the Grimaldi Group for its investment in Lagos State.
Also speaking, Adegboyega Oyetola, minister for Marine and Blue Economy, who was represented by Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary of the Ministry, said the successful berthing of the vessel testifies to the dedication of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and PTML to enhance efficiency at the port.
The Minister commended Grimaldi Group and PTML for deploying the vessel to Nigeria and for adding value to the Nigerian economy.
Earlier, Ascanio Russo, managing director of PTML, said the new ship is a marvel of modern engineering and environmental consciousness, stretching 290 meters in length with a beam of 38 meters and a weight of over 45,000 tonnes.
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The ship, he said, has the capacity to transport 4.7 kilometers of rolling freight, 2,500 Car Equivalent Units (CEUs), and 2,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
He said MV GREAT LAGOS is the second of the G5-class of ships recently launched by the Grimaldi Group and named after Nigeria’s commercial capital, which it has served for many decades.
“The naming of this vessel is not merely a coincidence; it is a deliberate and meaningful choice that reflects the deep and enduring connection between the Grimaldi Group and the port city of Lagos,” he said.
“In the last year alone, we have invested over $20 million to upgrade our facilities to receive this beautiful ship, extend the quay by over 40 meters, and strengthen it to receive and operate a new Mobile Harbour Crane,” he said.
Russo said the investment underscores the firm’s strive to achieve operational excellence while delivering efficient and cost-effective logistics services to the broader Nigerian economy and its people.
Russo said for more than six decades, the Grimaldi Group has been a cornerstone in the development of trade and maritime relations with Nigeria, a journey of mutual growth, understanding, and unwavering commitment.
On his part, Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), who commended Grimaldi Group for the landmark acquisition, said the vessel was built with favourable environmental impact that was infused into its construction.
According to him, the G5-class vessel is technologically equipped to reduce CO2 emissions per transported tonne of cargo up to 43 percent, which signposts Nigeria’s commitment to the 2023 International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Green House Gas Strategy, which envisages a reduction in the carbon intensity of international shipping by at least 40 percent by the year 2030.
“With shipping volumes promising to get higher, forward-looking investments such as building big ships such as Great Lagos symbolises the fact that the Nigerian business environment is progressively improving,” he said.
