Nigeria's first deep seaport, Lekki Port, has received CMA CGM Rimbaud, the first transship vessel to call at the port since it began operations in April 2023.

The transshipped cargo is bound for Cotonou in Benin and will be departing Nigerian waters on July 6, 2023.

The vessel, which arrived on June 29, recievedcargoes from two of the world's biggest container shipping lines, CMA CGM and Maersk. The vessel has a container handling capacity of 6,900 TEUs and discharged roughly 411 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of transship containers.

The service originated in the Far East, passing through Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Tanjung Pelpas, and Singapore to Kribi, Cameroon, before finally arriving at Lekki Port.

The coming of CMA CGM Rimbaud confirms the projections of Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), that Nigeria has received expressions of interest from countries such as Cameron, Chad, and Niger to have their cargoes moved from Nigerian ports.

Lekki Port, with its state-of-the-art ship-to-shore cranes and sophisticated scanners, is positioned to position Nigeria as a transshipping hub of West Africa.

Bello-Koko said in Lagos three weeks ago during the commissioning of the largest tugboats in Africa acquired for Lekki Port, "Lekki Port would not only serve as a transship hub for those countries but will also reduce the waiting time for cargo."

Speaking on the milestone, Du Ruogang, managing director of Lekki Port, commended the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Ports Authority for their support in ensuring the commencement of transship activities at Lekki Port.

Laurence Smith, chief operating officer of Lekki Port said that all regulatory agencies operating at the port, particularly the Nigerian Customs Service worked with Lekki Port and the container terminal operator, Lekki Freeport Terminal, to ensure the arrival of the vessel and processing of cargo went smoothly.

(Leadership)