WACT reaffirmed as alternate to Lagos port

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5 years ago

Barely one month after handling its first gearless vessel and the largest containership to call at Onne Port, Rivers State; leading container terminal operator, West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) has handled another large gearless containership deployed by leading Far Eastern shipping line, Pacific International Lines (PIL), prompting stakeholders to reaffirm the ports alterntive to Lagos port.

Before now, only the ports in Lagos were able to handle such class of vessels in Nigeria.

The PIL gearless vessel named KOTA KASTURI with a capacity of 3,081 TEU (Twenty Equivalent Units of containers), berthed at WACT terminal, Onne Port, Rivers State recently.

The Commercial Manager of WACT, Mr. Noah Sheriff, while speaking during a reception for the vessel, said the berthing of gearless containerships at the terminal supports the desire of Federal Government to open up ports outside the Lagos area to create new opportunities and possibilities for importers and exporters in the Eastern part of Nigeria.

According to him, WACT can handle gearless and large containerships in line with modern trend due to its investment in the acquisition of two Mobile Harbor Cranes (MHCs) worth $10 million and other sophisticated cargo handling equipment worth $4 million last year.

He said, “The significance of our ability to handle these large gearless vessels is that it is opening a new chapter for us such that in the future, more of these vessels will come to Onne. We are going to get four more cranes, so we will have six cranes here that will be able to handle such gearless vessels within the shortest vessel turnaround time.

“Over the last few years, we reached out to NPA for the dredging of the channel because of increase in cargo volumes. They have been very supportive, and I believe that this year we will see dredging in Onne. That will enable us to take up to 11.5 metres draught vessels and handle much larger ships.” Sheriff added.

On his part, the East Nigeria Manager for Pacific International Lines (PIL), Mr. James Joshua, said the shipping line deployed the vessel to Onne because of the availability of modern cargo handling facilities at WACT and to evaluate future deployment options.