Lekki Port Berts Largest Container Vessel On Nigerian Waters
By Sulaimon Salau
The Lekki Deep Seaport has berthed the largest container carrier to sail on Nigerian territorial waters today (Sunday 21st January, 2024).
The vessel measuring 367M in length over all christened “Maersk Edirne” has a Breadth of 48.2 and carried a Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of 142,131metric tonnes and a Dead weight Tonnage (DWT) of 147,340 metric tonnes, constituting 3,376 total cargo onboard was navigated to safety by the highly experienced and thoroughly equipped Pilots of the NPA.
This is the largest container vessel, to ever berth in Nigeria till date.
Responding to the milestone achievement, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko commended the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola for the consistent support and endorsement of the Authority’s initiatives and investments in employee upskilling and equipment renewal which made this milestone seamlessly achievable.
Before this time, the largest commercial vessels to sail on Nigerian waters were “MV Stadelhorn” and “MSC Maureen” at Onne Port and TinCan Island Port Complexes respectively. Thus the berthing of a ship of measuring 367 meters at Lekki Deep Seaport represents a quantum leap forward.
The Lekki Deep Seaport has by this feat in addition to its pioneering of full automation and facilitation of transhippment proven its readiness to exceed stakeholders’ expectations.
The MAERSK EDIRNE is one of 13 large container vessels which form the new CMA CGM WAX service that will operate along key locations including Xiamen, Qingdao, Shanghai, Singapore, Lekki Port, and Abidjan.
Lekki Port, in a statement said, “This marks a pivotal moment in our maritime history as Lekki Port proudly joins the esteemed CMA CGM West Africa express service, as the only port in Nigeria that is in this impressive port rotation. This is a testament to Lekki Port’s capability to accommodate large container vessels, solidifying its position as a key player in global trade.”
The company described this as a great win for Nigeria and the beginning of a new era of maritime excellence.
The next vessel that will be calling at Lekki Port is the magnificent CMA CGM SCANDOLA, an LNG powered vessel with a carrying capacity of 14,000 TEUs, on January 29.
