Nigeria’s maritime sector recorded a milestone on Tuesday as the country’s first indigenous container vessel, M.V. Ocean Dragon, berthed at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos with over 350 containers onboard.
At a ceremony to welcome the vessel, Vice President of Clarion Shipping, Mrs Benedine Eloka, hailed its arrival as the realisation of a long-standing strategic vision, made possible through the concerted efforts of financial institutions, government agencies, and private sector partners.
She noted that M.V. Ocean Dragon was introduced to tackle persistent logistical bottlenecks that have burdened Nigerian importers and exporters for decades. By facilitating the seamless movement of containerised cargo within Nigeria and across West Africa, the vessel is poised to transform coastal shipping operations.
With a carrying capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), the vessel is expected to substantially reduce dependence on road haulage by providing a faster and more cost-effective maritime transport option.
“The vessel is not only designed for operations along Nigeria’s coastline, but will also serve regional routes including Cotonou, Lome, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, with the potential to extend services to Egypt and South Africa,” Eloka stated.
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Mrs Eloka further disclosed that bookings have already commenced for shipments to regional destinations, including Ghana and Lome, signalling strong market reception for the new service.
She revealed that Clarion Shipping is also in the final stages of securing a second vessel dedicated to direct container shipments from China to Lagos. According to her, this strategic move will bypass the delays and complexities often caused by transshipments through multiple ports, offering Nigerian importers a faster and more streamlined supply chain.
Reflecting on the journey to acquiring M.V. Ocean Dragon, Eloka acknowledged that sourcing financing was among the toughest challenges the company faced. Despite these obstacles, she expressed confidence in the initiative’s long-term success, highlighting a robust customer base and a growing demand for efficient maritime logistics solutions in the country.