Lekki Port records new milestone, berths largest vessel

THE management of Lekki Port- promoters of Lekki Deep Sea Port has announced that the port has received another vessel, the CMA CGM Rabelais, which is the largest vessel to have berthed since the commencement of commercial operations at the port in April 2023.

The vessel, which has a 300m Length Overall (LOA) and the capacity to carry an impressive  6570 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), will be discharging and loading an exchange of 200 TEUs while at Lekki Port.

The CMA CGM Rabelais has set a new record for the port and, indeed, the Lagos Pilotage District, as being the largest vessel in ship dimensions to berth in the district, second only to the largest FPSO in the world, Total’s Egina FPSO.

The vessel, safely manoeuvered to berth by the Nigerian Ports Authority led by Pilot Fagbo Sayid,  sailed from Shanghai and made brief stops at Kribi and Cotonou before sailing to Lekki Port.

According to the Managing Director, Lekki Port, Du Ruogang, this milestone attests to the readiness of the port to become a major hub for global trade and logistics, which is evident in its capacity to receive larger vessels.

Also speaking on the milestone, the Assistant Harbour Master for Lekki Port, Captain Garba Gajere, explained that a thorough navigation risk assessment was carried out to ensure optimal handling of the vessel.

Gajere described the milestone as one of many to come, noting that pilots seconded by NPA to Lekki Port are fully ready to carry out their duties. It would be recalled that the port received its first commercial vessel, the GSL Alice vessel, on April 6.

Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (LPLEL) is the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that was awarded the Concession Agreement for the development and operations of the Lekki Deep Sea Port by the Nigerian Ports Authority.

LPLEL is required to develop, build and operate a common user multipurpose port. LPLEL sub-concessioned the container terminal operations to Lekki Freeport Terminal (LFT) operated by CMA Terminals, and a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group the world’s third largest container shipping company. LPLEL is a joint venture enterprise   owned by foreign promoters, Lekki Port Investment Holdings Inc (comprising China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. and Tolaram), the Lagos State Government, and the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). It is incorporated under the Companies & Allied Matters Act and licensed by the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority to operate within the Lagos Free Zone.

This opens a host of benefits for Lekki Port regarding taxes, duties, and other incentives.