In a development that signposts readiness to maximise the gains derivable from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) on 2nd July, at 5:05 AM, berthed the first wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel.

The container vessel with International Maritime Organization (IMO) number 9508770, christened MV Ocean Dragon and owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, has a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot-Equivalent Units (TEUs)

A statement by NPA on Friday said the vessel boosts a concerted investment drive geared towards reaping the cost and time-saving benefits of short-sea shipping by plying in-country maritime trade routes across Nigeria, and the West African sub-region, and offers an efficient alternative to road transport.

The vessel is scheduled to operate across West Africa and beyond, servicing ports in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt, South Africa and others, with expressions of interest for business already being established.

Responding to the milestone, Managing Director/ CEO of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho said, “This development is a testament to our relentless commitment towards deepening efficiencies required for maximising our Marine and Blue Economy potentials in line with the prompting of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Alh. Gboyega Oyetola, whose tenacity of purpose culminated in the recent FEC approval of the national policy on Marine and Blue Economy”.

On her part, Vice President of Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, Bernadine Eloka, described the acquisition as a bold solution to the high-risk, road-dominated movement of cargoes within Nigeria and a strategic move to deepen regional trade under the AfCFTA.

She said that the Clarion Group aims to offer more efficient intra-African shipping services while opening up new business opportunities across ports in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and beyond.

“We acquired MV Ocean Dragon to offer a seamless alternative to container haulage by road. Rather than struggling to move containers from Lekki to Onitsha, Port Harcourt, or Calabar by trucks, Ocean Dragon can move up to 349 containers by sea and deliver within two days from port to port,” Eloka said.

According to her, enforcement of the cabotage regime would encourage local investment, create jobs, and reduce Nigeria’s dependency on foreign-owned shipping lines.

Also, Managing Director of Clarion Suncity Terminal Logistics Limited, Mustafa Mohammed, said the company would take aggressive steps to compete with global giants, such as Maersk Line and MSC, by leveraging its status as Nigeria’s first indigenous shipping liner, investing in assets that directly support Nigerian exporters and importers, particularly in the landlocked regions.

He said the company had already secured bookings for 1,300 export containers and is helping farmers and manufacturers to avoid losses caused by delays and a lack of containers.

The development comes on the heels of the announcement by the MD NPA Abubakar Dantsoho of a fresh injection of $60 million investments towards the establishment of eco-friendly port developments.