Lekki Port in Nigeria, recognized as the country’s deepest harbour, recently received the Maersk Edirne, a vessel capable of 13,092 TEUs. This is the largest container ship to ever dock in Nigeria.
According to The Times, on Sunday, January 21, 2024, at 14:42 hours, the container vessel arrived at Lekki Port and docked.
The new CMA CGM WAX service, which comprises the Maersk Edirne, will operate over critical routes such as Xiamen, Qingdao, Shanghai, Singapore, Lekki Port, and Abidjan.
Lekki Port stands out as Nigeria’s only port included in this amazing port rotation.
The chairman of Lekki Port, Biodun Dabiri, expressed his excitement in achieving this milestone, emphasizing that Lekki Port’s modern facilities and world-class equipment enabled it to accommodate such large vessels.
While congratulating the management team on this accomplishment, he emphasized that Lekki Port has raised Lagos State and Nigeria on the international maritime scene, paving the way for Nigeria’s quest of maritime hub status in the Sub-Saharan African region.
Following the vessel’s arrival, Laurence Smith, chief operating officer of Lekki Port, described the berthing of such a large vessel as a positive development that will make a significant contribution to the Nigerian economy by allowing for increased cargo delivery and lower shipping costs.
He praised the container terminal operator, Lekki Freeport Terminal, a subsidiary of CMA CGM, for delivering effective terminal services to port customers since the start of commercial operations in April 2023, and for their dedicated efforts to make the container terminal the best in Nigeria.
In addition, in response to the event, the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, remarked that the accomplishment verifies the promises made by the Authority during the signing of the Presidential/Ministerial Performance Bond in December 2023.
He praised the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for constantly supporting and approving the Authority’s programs and investments in employee training and equipment replacement. This support helped to make the vessel’s berthing flawless.
Prior to this, the largest commercial vessels to sail in Nigerian waters were “MV Stadelhorn” and “MSC Maureen” in Onne Port and Tin-Can Island Port Complexes, respectively.
