The West Africa Container Terminal Nigeria (WACT), operator of the container terminal in Onne Port, says it has received the second largest containership to berth at a Nigerian Port.
The 5,042 Twenty Equivalent Units (TEUs) containership with a length overall of 294.5 meters, is named Lady Jane and operated by OOCL Shipping Line. It arrived at WACT terminal, Onne Port Complex, Rivers State, on Wednesday, April 13.
Recall that WACT previously made history in August 2020 when it received the largest containership to berth in Nigeria. The ship named Maersk Stadelhorn has length overall of 300 meters and capacity to carry about 10,000 TEUs.
Naved Zafar, the managing director of WACT, said that effective coordination by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the $112 million (about N47 billion) investment in the terminal by APM Terminals, made it possible to handle very large container vessels.
“Lady Jane is the second largest ship to call at WACT. This is important because as you know, WACT has embarked on a transformation plan since last year with an ambition to become the most efficient and reliable partner to our customers. Declaring a big ship like this is a clear indication of the unwavering trust in our capabilities and an affirmation of the investments that we have made since last year,” he said.
Continuing, he said: “In line with WACT’s vision of becoming the gateway to East Nigeria and beyond, we continue to stretch our boundaries by investing and expanding in our service capabilities to deliver the best-in-class supply chain solutions to both our shipping line customers and landside customers. The arrival of Lady Jane is the practical manifestation of that commitment.”
The port manager of Onne Port, Stanley Magaji Yitnoe, said the achievement indicates that container traffic is growing in Onne Port.
“Last year, container traffic in Onne grew by 31 percent but with Lady Jane bringing in containers to discharge and to load, including full exports, container traffic is definitely picking up in Onne. We have WACT to thank for that, and they are doing far more, as they are about to roll out a Container Freight Station (CFS) with focus on handing agri-commodities, which means more exports will be loaded out of Onne Port once the CFS resume operations,” Yitnoe said.
The commercial manager of WACT, Noah Sheriff, described the berthing of large containerships at the terminal as a great achievement.
“It brings additional capacity both on the import and export side and all categories of our customers stand to benefit. For the import customers, the regular direct services from the Far East coupled with our berthing window protocol, cargoes get here on time and agents/consignees are able to get the cargo to the market quicker using our online platforms,” Sheriff said.
He added that the coming of Lady Jane provides more slots for export loadings, which is important for the overall economy.
Sheriff disclosed that WACT continues to increase its e-commerce capabilities with the upcoming Truck Appointment System (TAS) product, which will further enhance service delivery for trucks visiting its facility.
“Once TAS is rolled out, truckers who book appointments will not have to wait in pre-gate lines to access the terminal. They will have direct access to the terminal per scheduled slot,” he further said.
“TAS booking will be similar to the seamless online booking for physical examination product we offer today. Our vision is to make WACT the best performing terminal in West Africa by providing safe, reliable, and cost-effective services to our customers,” he added.
WACT is the first Greenfield terminal in Nigeria and is fully owned by APM Terminals.