By Moses Ebosele, ebosele@hotmail.com —
Lekki Deep Seaport on Friday, May 19th, 2023, berthed a 300 Meter Length Over All (LOA) vessel, christened CMA-CGM RABELAIS.
According to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the journey of the 6570 TEUs capacity vessel originated from Shanghai, China.
Commenting on the milestone, the Asst. Harbour Master for Lekki Port, Captain Monday Gajere said the thorough navigation risk assessment involving Pilots, Tugs, and Mooring gangs which set the pace for seamless berthing of the large cargo carrier is a demonstration of the Authority’s talent-readiness to maximize the competitive advantages that Lekki Port deep draught and state-of-the-art equipment offers as Nigeria advances towards attaining Port hub status.
Responding to the development, NPA Managing Direcctor/Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Bello Koko, said: “The fact that this vessel is departing country on the same day it berthed is a fulfillment of our promise to deliver speedy cargo dwell time through improved efficiencies, and state of the art machinery and I am delighted to assure you that we are committed to continuously improving on this milestone”.
City Business News reports that the Senior Vice President and head of the Africa Division of CMA-CGM Group, Mr. Courquin, had on Thursday paid a visit to NPA Managing Director in Lagos.
The Group also expressed readiness to attract transit and transshipment cargoes to Nigeria through the operations of the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
