By BON PETERS, Port Harcourt

A Leading Port Terminal Operator, Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT), Onne, Rivers state, has again received KOTA CEMPAKA, the largest container ship ever to carry out full operations at Nigeria’s eastern ports.

This is the second visit of the ship to the terminal in three months.

KOTA CEMPAKA, owned by Pacific International Lines (PIL), is 300 metres long, has the capacity to carry 6,600 TEUs of containers.

The ship made its maiden visit to the Onne Port on April 27, 2024, when it loaded and discharged over 2,000 containers full of Nigerian imports and exports.

The vessel was received on its historic second voyage on Monday August 5, 2024 by the officials of Nigerian Ports Authority and Onne Multipurpose Terminal.

“The arrival of such large vessels is part of a global trend where shipping lines are upscaling vessel sizes to achieve economies of scale and reduce transport costs for importers and exporters,” Stewart said.

The Chief Operating Officer of (OMT) Onne, Jim Stewart, expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for ensuring that the vessel was able to berth successfully.

Stewart said, the visit of KOTA CEMPAKA to Nigeria would support the efforts of the Federal Government to diversify the country’s economic base by boosting non-oil exports. He said it would also generate more revenues into the coffers of the government.

“Again, we are excited that this very large container ship has been able to return for the second time in three months. This is a mark of confidence in Nigeria, in Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and in the professionalism of the Onne Multipurpose Terminal.

The OMT Chief Operating Officer also commended the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho and the Port Manager of Onne Port Complex, for making the port channels navigable and for equipping the NPA harbours department to handle such large ships.

“We are proud of this milestone. We started operations only three years ago, and we are happy to contribute to reducing vessel waiting times in Onne Port while also doubling container capacity and enhancing competition to the benefit of all customers.

“We are investing in new equipment including more modern cranes to enable us handle even bigger vessels. We have also acquired trucks and lands for expansion,” he added.

Also speaking, Hussein Abdulrahmon, the Port Manager of Onne Port, who represented the Managing Director of NPA at the brief reception for the container ship, said KOTA CEMPAKA brought in more cargoes on the second voyage to the port than it did 8during its first call.

He commended OMT and other stakeholders for the successful berthing, discharging and loading of the vessel.

Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT) handles containerized, oil and gas, and other cargo types. It is the first terminal of call at the Onne Port Complex, located in Onne’s Oil and Gas Free Zone, and is an efficient gateway to Africa’s largest oil production region and Nigeria’s major hinterland markets.

The sprawling Onne Port Complex – one of the world’s largest Oil and Gas Free Zones – robustly serves both onshore and offshore activities, while providing efficient access to oil fields in West Africa and the Sub-Saharan region.

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