Two harbour cranes to Nigeria

Liebherr has delivered two LHM 180 mobile harbour cranes to the Onitsha River Port, Nigeria. The machines have a maximum lifting capacity of 64 tonnes and a maximum outreach of 35 metres and will be used to handle a wide variety of break bulk cargoes including iron billets for the steel mills, building and construction materials, spare parts, wine and spirits, tyres, cements, cars and the occasional container, an area where growth is expected. The cranes can also be adapted for bulk handling if needed.

The ports on the Niger River in Nigeria are undergoing a program of dredging and refurbishment in line with Nigerian government policy. The Onitsha River Port has been refurbished and up-graded over the last year adding warehousing, port accommodation, storage space and the two Liebherr cranes.

The project was coordinated and carried out by Inter-Bau Construction Ltd. Owner and chairman of the group Sir Nath Okechukwu said: “Building something like a river port for the benefit of the local community gave me great pleasure. Working with international companies such as Liebherr, assisted us in the equipment selection part of the task and we hope to work with them again on future projects.”

Emmanuel Aguda, resident engineer from the National Inland Waterways Authority said: “The cranes give us great flexibility allowing project cargo up to 64 tonnes, a variety of break bulk cargoes and even use of a motor grab for bulks later. They can also transit to all areas of the port.”

onye_ngbu*:

Hmm.

When will some people grow up. Seaport ko!

asha 80:

if i may ask what is wrong in builiding river ports in selected spots along the river niger and benue(dregded of course)?do we know how much pressure it will remove from our roads?

Challas:

This another SCAM by d FG, The Asaba airport has been commissioned with nothing happening there,Enugu International Airport with no international flight uptill date and now Onitsha Port, I DON'T KNOW WHY OUR GOVT. FINDS JOY IN COMMISSIONING UNCOMPLETED PROJECTS, PR I GUESS?

feelamong:

COME O, EZEAGU OR UDI DEM DEY CALL U, 

WETIN BE ALL THIS RUBBISH FOTO? GEJ PAY U FOR THIS POOR PR JOB?

AM OFF TO TINCAN PLS,  BY 2014 WHEN THE NEXT CAMPAIGN START AGAIN, ABEG NO 4GET TO WAKE ME UP, 

ezeagu:

Can you explain to us how a seaport is childish? You do know there has been a seaport at Onitsha since the 1800s?

onye_ngbu*:

Building ports on the banks of Niger is good and indeed laudable but calling those ports 'sea port' is also childish.

chy101:


You are only talking out of envy and bitterness.

onye_ngbu*:

Building ports on the banks of Niger is good and indeed laudable but calling those ports 'sea port' is also childish.

Onitsha river port – at last!

From all indications, there is every reason to hope that at last the river port facility at Onitsha will soon be completed and put to use. The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, while inspecting the level of work at the site recently, disclosed to newsmen that President Goodluck Jonathan is likely to cut the tape to activate the port in October this year.

Work on this port was resumed in earnest on December 12, 2009 under the President Umaru Yar’ Adua regime with an award of contract valued at N4.182 billion to Inter-Bau Construction Ltd to ensure the installation of all facilities and equipment necessary for harbour operations. According to the minister, “with the speed with which the contractor is working on the project, it is expected that (it) will be completed in a few weeks. The completion of this project was one of the campaign promises made to Nigerians by Mr. President during his presidential campaign. We will invite him to come and see things for himself.”

This comes as cheering news given the sad history of this project. It was established over 30 years ago under the regime of President Shehu Shagari. But when the military intervened, the project was one of those abandoned nationwide. However, some commentators have voiced the view that ethnic and sectional politics was the major bedevilling factor behind the abandonment of the project. There seemed a conspiracy in some quarters to frustrate the development of new ports and rehabilitation of old ones, in spite of the fact that the Lagos ports had become perennially congested with attendant hardship to the economy and port users.

Several attempts made to dredge the River Niger became enmeshed in ethnic politics as some groups vowed to frustrate the dredging. However, the government of the late President Yar’ Adua rose above 30 years of ethnic and sectional bias and preceded full steam with the dredging of the Niger through to Onitsha, Lokoja and Baro. The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has kept faith with his predecessor’s determination by firmly taking this project to its logical conclusion. Hope has risen on the establishment of similar ports at Lokoja in Kogi State and Baro in Niger State.

With the completion of this waterway project, the years of waste to which the River Niger had been subjected would come to an end. A great natural resource would begin to play its role in the economic transformation of Nigeria, as boats and barges would be floating up and down the great river, bringing goods and people from the coast to the hinterland and back again.

New job opportunities would be created and a lot of pressure would be off the road network, thus contributing to their longer years. Most importantly, the heavy burden imposed on Lagos ports would be eased off and the commercial environment in the South-East, South-South and North-Central will be enhanced.

We commend the Federal Government, especially the regimes of the late President Yar’ Adua and the incumbent President Jonathan, for their patriotism and commitment to justice and even development of the country. We also commend the Minister of Transport, Senator Umar, for his obvious resourcefulness towards the expansion of the port network in Nigeria. We have since taken note of his doggedness to ensure the actualisation of the deep seaport project at Ibaka in Mbo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State.

We urge both the federal and state governments to continue to cooperate to ensure that all our sea and river ports in Lagos, Olokola, Koko, Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar and along the River Niger are constructed and maintained in readiness for the envisaged economic boom which many have prognosticated for Nigeria within a few years.

The roads, waterways, airports, Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and railways are great instruments not only for economic prosperity of nations but strong means of national integratino. We are glad that the Federal Government has decided to invest heavily in this direction, and urge them not to relent.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/09/onitsha-river-port-at-last/