Transhippment: NPA takes Minister of Marine and Blue Economy on tour Lekki deep sea port

In furtherance of the resolve to leverage the competitive advantages of Lekki Deep Seaport in attaining maritime hub status, the Managing Director, Mohammed Bello Koko, accompanied the Honourable Minister for Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, on a tour of the facility, which, apart from being Nigeria’s first deep seaport, is also the country’s first fully automated port.

Speaking during the visit, Mohammed Bello said, “Lekki Deep SeaPort’s distinctive features, such as full automation, drive-through scanners, and super post-panamax size ship-to-shore cranes, amongst others, position it for quick cargo and vessel turn-around, which will greatly enhance the competitiveness of our exports, especially agro-allied products, in the international marketplace.

“With enhanced competitiveness comes increased demand, which ultimately grows foreign exchange inflow into the country.”

He added that “the NPA is glad to announce that Lekki is already processing transhipment cargo, for which two of our landlocked neighbours have expressed interest, and with our renewed partnership with the Nigerian Customs towards the domestication of the World Custom Organisation’s guidelines on transhipment and other ease of doing business best practices, the numbers can only increase.”

Recall that the NPA had recently procured and deployed two first-of-its-kind in Africa Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) 80-tonne Bollard Pull Tugboats to equip Lekki Port to provide best-in-class marine services.

The Honourable Minister expressed his delight at the world-class facilities on the ground at the Lekki Port and pledged the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy’s commitment to ensure that the opportunities for national prosperity inherent in the Lekki Deep Seaport are maximally utilised.