The commencement of commercial operations by Nigeria’s first deep seaport, Lekki Port, was expected to change the nation’s narrative in sub-regional shipping and maritime activities. In this report, TOLA ADENUBI looks at what has changed since April 2023.
For years, Nigerian ports were on the receiving end of cargo diversion and loss of trans-shipment cargoes as very large vessels shunned its ports due to the lack of a deep draft at the existing ports, taking cargoes destined for Nigerian markets to neighbouring ports of Lome, Cotonou and Abidjan.
Mindful of the need for Nigeria to regain these “lost cargoes,” the Federal Government gave approval for the first deep seaport in Nigeria, Lekki Port, to a consortium of private investors (Tolaram and China Harbour Engineering Company). The construction of the port commenced in earnest in 2020 and was completed in October 2022 after which the port commenced commercial operations on April 1, 2023.
Lost cargoes regained
Just a month after the commencement of commercial operations, Lekki Port welcomed the arrival of Nigeria’s first largest vessel, CMA CGM Rabelais. CMA CGM Rabelais, which has a 300m length overall (LOA) and the capacity to carry an impressive 6,570 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), discharged and loaded an exchange of 200 TEUs while at Lekki Port.
The CMA CGM Rabelais 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 (NPA), sailed from Shanghai and made brief stops at Kribi and Cotonou ports before sailing to Lekki Port. Prior to the commencement of Lekki Port, CMA CGM Rabelais would have discharged all its Nigerian-bound cargoes at Cotonou Port and turned back because of the absence of a port in Nigeria that could accommodate a vessel of that size.
However, after brief stops at Kribi and Cotonou ports, CMA CGM Rabelais sailed straight to Lekki Port to discharge 200 TEUs of cargo, marking the first step in the nation’s quest to wrest back lost cargoes from neighbouring ports in the West African sub-region.
Speaking on the feat, the Managing Director of Lekki Port, Du Ruogang, said this milestone attests to the readiness of the port to become a hub for global trade and logistics, which is evident in its capacity to receive larger vessels.
With very large vessels already calling at Lekki Port, the port again took delivery of its very first transshipment cargoes in June 2023 with the arrival of the CMA CGM RIMBAUD, the first transshipment vessel to call at the container terminal of Lekki Deep Sea Port.
The vessel, which arrived at approximately 1.00 pm on Thursday, June 29, 2023, contained cargo from two of the largest container shipping lines in the world, CMA CGM and Maersk.
The service originated from the Far East, passing through Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Tanjung Pelpas and Singapore to Kribi, Cameroun, before finally arriving at Lekki Port.
CMA CGM RIMBAUD came to Lekki Port with 411 TEUs of transshipment cargo and had a nominal container handling capacity of 6,900 TEUs.
Since the departure of CMA CGM RIMBAUD, checks by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that Lekki Port has facilitated over 25,000 transshipments and still counting.
“As the only deep sea port in Nigeria with the ability to handle 14,000 TEU container vessels, we put our facilities to good use and have handled over 100,000 containers in the past year, showcasing our capability to support global trade.
“We have also embarked on transshipment from June 2023 with the arrival of the first transshipment vessel, the CMA CGM RIMBAUD. Since then, we have facilitated over 25,000 transshipments and counting.
“We are grateful for the support of the Nigerian Ports Authority who provided marine services and tug boats. Lekki Port will continue to deliver on its promise to serve as a transshipment hub in West Africa,” a statement ascribed to the senior management team of Lekki Port noted.
Acquisition of scanners
With very large vessels now calling Lekki Port and bringing back Nigerian lost cargoes, the port needed to stay in touch with modern trends in terms of capacity. In August 2023, the port commissioned a state-of-the-art scanning facility, also known as non-intrusive inspections system to fast-track the examination and evacuation of containers from the port.
The world-class facility was commissioned by the erstwhile Customs Area Controller, Nigeria Customs Service, Lagos Free Zone Command, Comptroller Dorothy Omogbehin, on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
Giving details of the scanners during the commissioning, the Managing Director of Lekki Port, Du Ruogang, described the uniqueness of the scanners, saying that the drive-through inspection system of the scanning facility adopts dual-energy x-ray imaging technology to discriminate organic, inorganic and mixed materials, which are marked with specific colours to help identify contraband and dangerous goods concealed among cargoes or hidden in the vehicle.
He added that the inspection system can be integrated with various auxiliary devices, including the License Plate Recognition (LPR) System and Container Code Recognition (CCR) System, to provide comprehensive information on the inspected goods.
“The scanner adopts the compact modular design concept for convenient relocation and seamless integration with other subsystems,” he said.
In June 2023, NPA supplied two 80-tonne bollard pull tug boats christened M.T MAIKOKO and M.T DA-OPUKORO to enhance efficient port services and reduce cargo turnaround time at the port.
The neoteric tug boats are the first of the 2813 Azimuth Stern Drive model to be available in Africa, with maneuverability of 360 degrees which will enhance the maneuvering of large capacity vessels of 300 metres LOA and above. This is essential to Lekki Port for the smooth berthing of large vessels by assisting their movement from the approach channel to the quay wall and also departure from the port.
Speaking during the commissioning of the two tug boats, the Managing Director, NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, noted that the acquisition of the tug boats would enable Lekki Port to bring vessels of all sizes to the country.
According to Bello-Koko, the investment in maritime infrastructure demonstrates the agency’s resolve to assist in meeting the contemporary demands of trade facilitation.
Arrival of LNG-powered vessel
On the January 28, Nigeria also witnessed another first when the Lekki Port took delivery of the CMA CGM SCANDOLA, an LNG-powered 14,812 TEUs container vessel.
The CMA CGM SCANDOLA has an overall length (LOA) of 366 metres and a width of 51 metres and it is the first LNG-powered container vessel to sail to West Africa, arriving first in Tema before coming to Lekki Port, being the only port in Nigeria with the facilities to receive such large container vessels.
Speaking during the arrival ceremony to receive the container vessel, Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, commended the management of Lekki Port for raising the bar in the Nigerian maritime industry by recording several remarkable milestones since the official commissioning of the port a year ago.
Sanwo-Olu had said, “As a responsive government and shareholder of this port, we are very proud of the achievement of Lekki Port since its inauguration a year ago. This port and the entire Lekki economic zone hold the key to the economic prosperity of our state and our country as a whole. We have addressed the road infrastructure within the Lekki axis to aid cargo evacuation and we will continue to support the port and, indeed, all the businesses within the free zone to attain their full potential.”
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