Tolu Ogunlesi tweets about the revival of the Eastern Ports
tolu ogunlesi @toluogunlesi

I think we all agree that Nigeria needs to move more cargo/containers away from Lagos and to the Ports in the Eastern flank of Nigeria (Calabar, PH, Warri, Onne, etc), right? Lagos Ports are clearly overburdened - no doubt about that.

Here’s something quite interesting:

Things have been looking up for the Eastern Ports since 2017. Still a long way to go, but you can see a coming-alive.

The revival started in Calabar Port in Oct 2017, when two flat-bottomed vessels (200m) berthed there, carrying wheat:

MV Desert Ranger, and
MV Desert Harrier

One of the biggest challenges with the Eastern Ports is the limitations in channel draft. In layman’s terms, they are too shallow for large vessels. Need to be dredged. While plans for dredging are being sorted, the Nigerian Ports Authority (@nigerianports) decided to encourage flatbottomed vessels to berth.

Getting the two vessels (owned by a Greek Co) to break a jinx of sorts and berth in Calabar in Oct 2017 was no small feat - the Company had to be convinced; ship captains had to receive special training to navigate the Calabar Port channel. And then there was Pilot Mohammed Bida.

Pilot Mohammed Bida is the @nigerianports tugboat pilot whose task it was to “pilot” the vessels into the Harbour when they arrived in Calabar. News reports say he was rewarded with a Best Worker of the Year Award in 2017, as well as double promotion from Grade level 09 to 12.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/10956344_nigerianports_jfif_jpegbaf0239d35bf5cb1da89127cef5a95cc

This was October 2017 - when the flat-bottomed ships broke the Calabar jinx. In December 2017, Calabar Port commenced export of bulk cement to Tema Port in Ghana: https://independent.ng/calabar-port-begins-export-bulk-cement-ghana/

The next big milestone came in 2019.

In 2019, three container ships berthed at Calabar Port — the first time in ELEVEN years.

MV Boreas: September 2019
MV Zea Walawe: November 2019
MV MCP Adamax: November 2019
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/10/07/holm-why-we-brought-container-ship-to-calabar-port/

It’s great news no doubt. But several challenges remain, including the shallow draft, and also security challenges in the waterways (you can read more in the link in previous tweet). But the berthing of flat-bottomed vessels is a step forward from the dormancy of the past.

That’s Calabar.

Let’s move on to Warri Port. Here’s the big news from Warri. I tweeted this a year ago:

www.nairaland.com/attachments/10956345_tweet_jpeg859ecc9f187846d5f741c229f6643474

Next up: Rivers Port (Port Harcourt)

On October 30, 2019, MT NAVIGATOR CAPRICON, a 160m LPG Tanker operated by NLNG, berthed in PH. I’m told first time ever for an LPG ship in any of the Eastern Ports; LPG ships (from NLNG in Bonny) have always berthed in Lagos.

Also, according to @nigerianports:

“Nine (9) new vessels called at the Rivers Ports for the first time in 2019, including:

MV Zafer, berthed September 8, 2019
MV Northern Dance, berthed May 22, 2019
MV Kota Bakti, berthed February 18, 2019.”

Last but not least: Onne Port, also in Rivers State.

On August 1, 2019, Onne Port received MSC GRACE, a containership. First container ship to berth in Onne in TWELVE years, according to @nigerianports.

www.nairaland.com/attachments/10956346_epxeo2lw4ai5gj_jfif_jpegc3f808ce89b24dc598f84d4803cb9511
www.nairaland.com/attachments/10956347_epxeo2iwkaaqrqy_jfif_jpeg9374ea59b179308109c8a4685822e2ba
(File photos taken from Internet; not image from Onne Port)
And then the big news from Onne Port:

On December 8, 2019, Onne Port received JPO VOLANS (owned by Maersk), the FIRST gearless and largest container vessel (265.07 metres) to call at any Eastern Port in Nigeria.

[Typical length of previous Eastern Port ships = 200m or less]

https://twitter.com/toluogunlesi/status/1222099228618567680


Reactions.

Reactions.

I have to agree with Tolu on this

Good

Lagos port needs to be decongested. Everything is embedded in Lagos .

Ok, noted

Watchin wit 7D

issalright

nice!

mfed

The failure of successive governments to revive the other ports across the nation is simply because of parochial, economic & political sentiments.Other regional economic bodies e.g.NDDC should have long rose up to the challenge.

Noted

interesting

Anything to lure igbos for 2023

Ok...

---

Pick a service below and reach out.

It is going to empower the east economically,decongest lagos and leave the lazy omoniles very hungry,a situation that could force them to be a little more resourceful and hardworking.

So Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the PDP never thought of opening the ports in the SS which is the base of the PDP

PDP na real wicked party

Ok

Issokay

Why is the woman not wanting to shake him

God saves!

Thats good

Best thing i have read from tolu

You are on Point , FG’s Fear is that The Desperate & Dubious Igbos And IPOB will Use this Opportunity to Carry Out Nefarious Activities Like Smuggle In Arms & Ammunitions , Contraband Goods, Etc

Revival you say

Rivers Niger and Benue are almost as useless as tissue paper to Nigeria. But over the years, government have paid lip service to the issue of dredging. One of the reasons Onitsha Port is still comatose after concessioning (apart from deliberate act to create legal hiccups) is the issue of cataracts and rapids, which makes the rivers not to support bigger vessels.

what's Tolu saying... there's nothing like Eastern port

we only have
Western ports and
South South ports

God bless President Muhammadu Buhari

Only a dishonest person would say Buhari hasn't tried.

Successive governments have come and gone, yet they ignored the 2nd Niger bridge, railways, ports in the east, even roads.

We've been importing rice and even as poor as the average Nigerian is, he believes farming is beneath him.

Buhari has taken us back. Yes back to where we should have started. The foundation.

Don't be a zombie.

Those you fought for have switched allegiance from PDP to APC, yet you keep crying.

Key into the policies of today's government and watch how things unfold quickly.