LEKKI DEEP SEAPORT GETS APPROVAL TO START COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS
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President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the designation of Lekki Deep Seaport as a Customs Port and Approved Wharf.
This is contained in the official Twitter handle of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Friday.
It stated that the Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello-Kokoin, in a letter through the Ministry of Transportation, secured the approval for the port to be gazetted in line with extant laws.
With the approval and level of preparedness, the port is set for berthing commercial vessels before year-end.
It was reported on July, 2nd that operations at the Deep Seaport are expected to commence in September.
Their arrival, according to Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), represents a major step toward birthing Nigeria’s first Deep Seaport.
“It also demonstrates our readiness to take trade facilitation a notch higher,” Bello-Koko said in a speech at the event he described as “epoch making”.
He said that the commitment of the NPA toward providing every support necessary to place Nigeria on the global list of countries with Deep Seaports was unflinching.
“This is why matters related to the operationalisation of Lekki Deep Seaport before the end of this year have been placed on top priority,” he declared.
The NPA helmsman thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the tremendous backing the authority had enjoyed leading to the arrival of the vessel
“For us at the NPA, the coming on stream of Lekki Deep Sea Port symbolises a lot of positives. Apart from being Nigeria’s first Deep Seaport, Lekki Port will also be the first fully automated port at take-off.
According to the reports Hot received, the vessels came from Hong Kong to berth at Lekki Deep Seaport, Lagos State.
Earlier, Chairman of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Mr Abiodun Dabiri, had said that the arrival of the vessel in Lekki Seaport was historic as it would begin to deliver Nigeria as a regional hub for maritime business.
“Now, the vessel we just received is carrying some major cranes and those cranes will enhance the transformation business of the deep sea port.
“The draft of the depth of this sea is about 16.5 meters and the vessel itself can only take about 14.5 meters; the implication of this is that there is no where else in this country that this vessel can berth and that is what makes it historic.
“So, in terms of efficiency, when you talk of STS crane, it means ship to shore which is devoid of manhandling; it will just be automated.
“It is going to be fully automated; it will transform the maritime business and make Nigeria a regional hub,” he said.
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