The Onne Multipurpose Terminal at Onne Port Complex has revealed that it hosted the largest container ship ever to carry out full operations at an eastern port.
According to a recent statement by the terminal operator, the container ship, named Kota Cempaka, which is owned by Pacific International Lines, is 300 meters long, and could carry 6,600 twenty-equivalent units of containers.
The terminal operator said it loaded and discharged more than 2,000 containers of Nigerian imports and exports on the first call of a large container ship at the Onne Port in April 2024, according to The Punch.
In his remark, the Chief Operations Officer of Onne Multipurpose Terminal, James Stewart, said the successful berthing and operation of the vessels mark a significant milestone for the terminal and for the Nigerian Ports Authority.
Stewart said “We are proud that PIL trusts OMT with handling its large vessels in Onne. The arrival of such large vessels is part of a global trend where shipping lines are upscaling vessel sizes to achieve economies of scale and reduce transport costs for Nigerian importers and exporters.”
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of OMT, Jacob Gulmann, said, “OMT is partnering with the NPA to ensure that we are ready for these larger vessels. For example, NPA is working tirelessly to ensure the water depth is 12 metres in the port. This is crucial to allowing this new generation of vessels to call Onne Port.”
He was grateful to the NPA Managing Director, Mr Mohammed KokoBello, and Onne Port Manager, Mr Raymond Akgun, for their foresight and vision.
He said that the terminal was proud of the achievement and that it was a sign of the company’s contribution to Nigeria’s logistics sector.
Situated at Onne Port Complex in River State, OMT started operations in 2021 as a container terminal operator, operating with 750 metres of deep-water berths, 12-meter water depth, two mobile harbor cranes, 15 terminal trucks, seven reach stackers, three empty handlers and 125 reefer plugs.
The terminal is equipped with an in-house power plant, which runs the most recent IT systems from Navis Terminal Operation System and SAP, enabling it to handle any kind of cargo.
