TheCable

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Wednesday said it would continue the dredging of Nigerian waterways to enable more big vessels to call at the nation’s ports.

The Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, disclosed this during the inaugural call of West Africa Maximum (MAFWAS) to Onne Port in Rivers State.

Abdullahi said the federal government had approved the dredging of some ports in Lagos as well as Bonny Channels and Calabar Port to enable bigger vessels to sail into those ports.

The the vessel was brought to the Onne port with the support of MAERSK LINE to boost the cargo turnaround time.

Government officials, NPA officials, terminal operators and other dignitaries were wet by rain during the inauguration of WAFMAS call to Onne Port.

Abdullhi said that the ship had capacity for 4,500 twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) of cargo.

“The officials of the Nigerian Port Authority present on the occasion are excited with the success of this big vessel calling at Onne port.

“The NPA management has been on this project since 2007 to decongest Lagos ports and reduce level of transferring containers to eastern part of the country,” Abdullahi said.

He said the Onne Port had been experiencing relative competition recently which had made many operators to invest in the Nigerian maritime sector.