The Nigeria’s first indigenous container vessel, M.V. Ocean Dragon, has arrived the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos on Tuesday, carrying over 350 containers.
Speaking during the reception ceremony, Vice President of Clarion Shipping, Mrs Benedine Eloka, described the vessel’s arrival as the fulfilment of a long-term strategic plan made possible through the collaboration of key stakeholders, including financial institutions and relevant government agencies.
Mrs Eloka emphasized that the introduction of M.V. Ocean Dragon aims to address longstanding logistical challenges faced by Nigerian importers and exporters, particularly in the movement of containerized cargo both within the country and across the West African sub-region.
According to her, the vessel boasts a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units, TEUs, and is expected to significantly ease the burden of transporting containers over land by offering a more efficient coastal shipping alternative.
“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.
She also revealed that bookings are already underway for shipments to destinations such as Ghana and Lome.
Clarion Shipping is finalizing arrangements for the deployment of a second vessel that will transport containers directly from China to Lagos, eliminating the delays and complications associated with transshipment through multiple countries.
Highlighting the challenges encountered during the project, Eloka noted that financing the acquisition of the vessel was one of the most difficult hurdles.
However, she expressed optimism about the future, citing a ready market and a strong customer base eager to utilize the service.