FG Re-Awards Calabar Port Dredging Contract

The Federal Government
has re-awarded the contract for  the  dredging of Calabar Port channel  to enable larger and deep drought vessels to berth .
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in  Calabar, last Friday, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan,  said the project when completed would boost investment  and trade opportunities in Cross River, Anambra, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi States.
Represented by the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar,  Jonathan  acknowledged that the port  had  made Calabar a business  hub for trade and shipping activities in the country, adding, “on completion of this dredging, the seaport   will witness huge traffic in business  activities, thereby facilitating trade and increase revenue for the state”.
He, however, enjoined the contractors to expedite action and complete the project on schedule with specification, and disclosed that the project was a joint venture between  the Nigerian Port Authority  (NPA) and  Niger Global Engineering.
It was specifically awarded to a joint venture, Calabar Channel  Management Limited (CCM) and Niger Global Engineering Services Limited.
Also speaking, the Acting Managing Director of the Calabar Chanel Management Operation; Mr Peter Hekken, said the dredging would enable NPA to develop its channel to ensure safety  of navigation, protection of marine environment  and expeditious movement of vessels in and out of the ports, stressing that it will also ensure quick turn-around time and facilitate international shipping in the country.
Hekken, who described the project as timely said it would address the quest by ship owners to have more dedicated  ports that would play host to larger  and deep vessels in line with international best practice and shipping trade,   as there is renewed  global interest  in trade  and investment  in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
In his speech, the Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, said the dredging would increase the revenue profile of the state but decried the poor  state of  the road to the port.
It was however noted that the contract for the dredging of the port was  being awarded for a record fifth  time, as the first contract was awarded  by a former Head of State, Late General Sani Abacha in 1996, but was not executed.
The Calabar Channel dredging was reawarded by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2002 at a whopping sum of $56 million while in 2006, the contract was again  awarded by the then Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo at N14 billion.

Collins Barasimeye

Newly acquired Tug boat (M/V Hinna and Otuoke) by the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) at Berth 5, Rivers Port, recently.