Effective coordination by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and investment in the terminal by APM Terminals, has made it possible to handle very large container vessels, the West Africa Container Terminal Nigeria (WACT), said on Tuesday
In a statement, the Managing Director of WACT, Mr Naved Zafar, explained that the investment amounted to $112 million.
Zafar said that the transformation plan which WACT embarked on since last year, made it possible for `MV Lady Jane’, the second largest ship to call at Onne Port.
According to him, declaring a big ship like this is a clear indication of the unwavering trust in their capabilities and an affirmation of the investments that they have made since last year.
“The 5,042 TEUs container ship named Lady Jane is the second largest container ship to berth at a Nigerian port and received by WACT.
“Lady Jane operated by OOCL shipping line, which has a length overall of 294.5 meters arrived at WACT Onne Port Complex, Rivers State, on April 13.
“In line with WACT’s vision of becoming the gateway to East Nigeria and beyond, we continue to stretch our boundaries by investing and expanding in our service capabilities to deliver the best-in-class supply chain solutions, to both our shipping line customers and landside customers.
“The arrival of Lady Jane is the practical manifestation of that commitment,” he said.
Zafar said that WACT previously made history in August, 2020, when it received the largest containership to berth in Nigeria.
The ship named Maersk Stadelhorn had length overall of 300 meters and capacity to carry about 10,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units).
In the same vein, Onne Port Manager, Mr Stanley Yitnoe, said that the achievement indicated that the container traffic was growing.
“Last year, container traffic in Onne grew by 31 per cent but with Lady Jane bringing in containers to discharge and to load, including full exports, container traffic is definitely picking up in Onne.
“We have WACT to thank for that and they are doing far more, as they are about to roll out a Container Freight Station (CFS) with focus on handing Agri-Commodities.
“Which means more full exports will be loaded out of Onne Port, once the CFS resume operations,” he said.
The Commercial Manager of WACT, Mr Noah Sheriff, described the berthing of large container ships at the terminal as a great achievement.
“It brings additional capacity both on the import and export sides and all categories of our customers stand to benefit.
“For the import customers, the regular direct services from the Far East, coupled with our berthing window protocol, cargoes get here on time and agents/consignees are able to get the cargo to the market quicker, using our online platforms.
“For export customers, Lady Jane provides more slots for export loadings, which is important for the overall economy today,” he said.
Sheriff said that WACT would continue to increase its e-commerce capabilities with the upcoming Truck Appointment System (TAS) product, which would further enhance service delivery for trucks visiting its facility.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WACT which is located in Onne, is part of Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone.
