Nigeria’s top two container terminals, APM Terminals Apapa and TinCan Island Container Terminal (TICT), and the country’s largest multipurpose roll-on-roll-off (RORO) terminal, Port Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML) strengthened their leadership positions at the port in 2023 as they hosted the largest containerships and container-roro (CONRO) ships visiting Nigeria.
Large ships are a great option when it comes to freight volume per ship. In addition to the economies of scale they offer shippers, large ships are more fuel-efficient and support the drive for eco-friendly maritime transport.
On 14h March, TICT, which operates Terminal B, Tin Can Island Port Complex, Lagos, received the MSC MAUREEN — the largest containership ever to berth at Lagos ports. The ship, sailing under the Panamanian flag, is a 6,750 TEU ship with a draught of 12metres, length overall of 300metres and beam of 40metres.
“This feat will help us reduce cost and create economies of scale for importers and exporters. Tin Can and Apapa ports remain very important for the Nigerian economy so if larger vessels come here, it will be a great benefit to everyone. We have seen that we can do it and this will make Lagos more competitive because the larger the vessel, the lower the freight rate becomes in terms of imports and exports,” Managing Director of MSC Nigeria Limited, Andrew Lynch said.
He said in addition to the economies of scale that the large vessel brings, it will also boost Nigeria’s export drive as it will depart the shores of the country with export commodities meant for the international market.
The Chief Operations Officer of TICT, Edward Ancly, described the berthing of MSC MAUREEN at the terminal as a great achievement.
“It is a major change in our operation. It is the first time we would see a 300metres length overall vessel coming into Lagos port, so it is going to give more capacity to the shipping lines and bring more business to Nigeria. I am very glad it happened here and in TICT,” Ancly said.
On Friday 16th June, Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa, received the largest containership to call at the Apapa Port. The Singapore-flagged Kota Cantik, operated and managed by Pacific International Lines (PIL), is a 6,606 TEU containership with a draught of 11.6 metres, length overall (LOA) of 300 metres and beam of 40 metres.
“We are excited at this historic achievement. We thank the Nigerian Ports Authority for maintaining the channels and for professionally piloting the vessel to the port. Without the effort, support and approval of NPA, this would not have been possible.
“Carrying a higher number of containers per vessel would translate into lower capital and operating costs per container, thereby reducing the transportation cost per unit. Also, since bigger vessels consume less fuel per container transported, the emissions per TEU are lower than for smaller vessels. Thus, bigger vessels like the Kota Cantik are more environmentally friendly and contribute to lowering the total emissions of the shipping industry,” Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, said.
The Managing Director of PIL Nigeria, Kevin Taylor, said consignees and the Nigerian economy will benefit from the vessel call.
“The customers in Nigeria have more opportunities to get cargoes in Lagos and also for competitive exports,” Taylor said.
The Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Charles Okaga, said he was excited about the berthing of the vessel, barely two weeks into his resumption at the port.
“The port is the major trade facilitation platform and when vessels of this type berth, it reduces cost of shipping and consumer goods because all of these costs are put to every shipment. But if you pay less for shipment and logistics, the landing cost will also reduce and that reduces inflation while strengthening the ability of people to afford consumer goods,” Okaga said.
PTML capped the large ship calls into Nigeria on December 4 with the maiden call of the MV Great Lagos – the largest container-RORO ship to visit Nigeria and the West African sub-region.
MV Great Lagos is owned and operated by PTML’s parent company, the Grimaldi Group.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola; Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko and the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh were among dignitaries that attended a reception in honour of the ship at the Tin Can Island Port Complex, Lagos.
The Managing Director of PTML, Mr. Ascanio Russo, said the new ultramodern megaship is a marvel of modern engineering and environmental consciousness, stretching 290 meters in length with a beam of 38 meters and deadweight of over 45,000 tonnes. The ship, he said, has capacity to transport 4.7 kilometres of rolling freight, 2,500 Car Equivalent Units (CEUs), and 2,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).
He said MV GREAT LAGOS is the second of the G5-class of ships recently launched by the Grimaldi Group and named after Nigeria’s commercial capital, which it has served for many decades.
“Today marks a significant milestone, not only for PTML and Grimaldi but for Lagos and Nigeria as a whole. We are gathered here on board this magnificent ship to celebrate the maiden call of the “Great Lagos”, a majestic vessel in the new G5 class of Ro/Ro multipurpose ships The naming of this vessel is not merely a coincidence; it is a deliberate and meaningful choice that reflects the deep and enduring connection between the Grimaldi Group and the port city of Lagos,” Russo said at the reception.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Deputy Governor, said the visit of the MV Great Lagos was an expression of confidence of the international community in Nigeria.
The three leading terminal operators were able to host the large ships because of the increased investments in their respective facilities. For example, APM Terminals Apapa recently invested an additional sum of USD80 million (more than N80 billion) to upgrade its facilities to receive large ships. TICT and PTML also made addition investments of more than USD20 million each to position their facilities to receive large vessels. These investments demonstrate confidence in the Nigerian economy, and would not have been possible without the port concession regime.
Nigeria, without a doubt, is, through the investment at these terminals, regaining its position as a major hub in the West and Central African sub-region.
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