Federal Government To Undertake Dredging Of Lekki Deep Seaport Channel
The Federal Government said it has concluded plans to carry out a maintenance dredging of the $1.5bn Lekki Deep Seaport channels.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, disclosed this during his maiden visit to the port in Lagos.
Dantsoho urged the management of the deep seaport to consolidate its transshipment volumes to landlocked neighbouring countries.
He expressed satisfaction with the rise in volume at the Lekki Deep Seaport.
According to Dantsoho, Lekki’s capacity to berth super post-panamax vessels and deliver rapid cargo and vessel turnaround positions is a game-changer for Nigeria’s export competitiveness, “particularly for agro-allied products, as the African Continental Free Trade Area gains traction.”
The NPA MD explained that the port’s efficiency is driving steady increases in transshipment.
He added that the increase in the transhipment capacity is meeting the maritime needs of neighbouring countries and supporting NPA’s goal of achieving economies of scale.
“The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, with the recommendation of the NPA, has gotten the approval for the dredging of the channel at Lekki Deep Seaport. This is something that we have been working towards, something that we have been discussing for almost two to three years,” Dantsoho said.
Dantsoho stressed that the contract for the dredging would be handled by the
China Harbour Engineering Company.
“CHEC is going to be the contractor for the dredging project. So I think that’s a clear indication of how serious and supportive we can get when it comes to issues of Lekki Deep Seaport,” he stated.
He highlighted that the enhanced competitiveness fuels demand boosts foreign exchange inflows and contributes significantly to Nigeria’s year-on-year trade surplus.
Dantsoho emphasised that the rising export volume is going to double or even triple shortly.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment with the support of the Federal Government to sustain the trend.
On automation, the NPA MD stated, “Lekki Port is up to date with the technologies, and we are very happy about that. The technology that is here will be part of the main requirements for the deployment of the Port Community Systems, which is a precursor for keying into the National Single Window.”
Earlier, the Managing Director of Lekki Deep Seaport, Wang Qiang, requested an adjustment of the tariff structure to reflect service costs and inflation.
He also called for a reduction in ship dues specifically for large vessels and feeders to enhance port competitiveness.
“Provision of night pilotage services to enable 24-hour operations and improve vessel turnaround time, amongst others,” the Lekki Port MD stated.