NPA MD, Dantsoho, Excited as Indigenous Container Vessel Makes Maiden Call at Onne Port
MD NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho in a handshake with Vice-President Clarion Shipping West Africa Ltd and Frederick Klinke Country Manager APMT Nigeria during the maiden call of "MV OCEAN DRAGON" first fully Nigerian-Owned Container Vessel at the Onne Port Complex on Thursday 31st July, 2025.
By Our Reporter
There was excitement on the part of the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, following the maiden call of a wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel “MV OCEAN DRAGON”, at Onne Port.
Dantsoho had during the reception for the vessel on Thursday, reiterated the commitment of the organization in promoting indigenous ownership of ships in Nigeria, saying this has been in line with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy.
Excited MD OF NPA said during the occasion, “Apart from the high loading capacity of 349 TEUs and several other distinctive features of this vessel, we are fascinated that MV Ocean Dragon is wholly Nigerian owned which speaks to the Renewed Hope “Nigeria first” policy of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR and the Nigerian Ports Authority’s renewed orientation towards Nigerian content development.
“That the very fact that this vessel which can move thousands of Gross Registered Tonnages across African destinations within days, signposts the Nigeria’s commitment to the dictates of International Association for Ports and Harbours (IAPH) on multi-modalism and seamless Port-Hinteland Connectivity.
“This gives us great delight as it supports the rationale behind NPA’s simplified export processes through the Export Processing Terminals (EPTs) conceptualized to link local producers of value in the remotest hinterland to the farthest international centres of demand”.
“Let me seize this moment to reiterate that the Authority’s port modernization project and ongoing reform initiatives around our Port Operations is cognizant of the need to sustain the enabling business environment that midwifed the year-on-year attainment of national trade surpluses.”
“With shipping volumes promising to get higher, forward-looking investments such as the one we are gathered here to celebrate will certainly have a big impact in the long run.
“Coming on the heels of increasing growth in Nigeria’s transhipment figures from the Lekki Deep Seaport and the expansion in external goods trade reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) thus far for 2025, the coming on stream of MV Ocean Dragon to propel even greater volumes symbolizes the fact that the Nigerian business environment is progressively getting better.
“I want to assure the global investment community that the Nigerian Ports Authority under the supervision of the investor-friendly Minister of Marine & Blue Economy His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, will continue to galvanize stakeholder efforts to continuously promote the ease of doing business all in a concerted bid to optimize the rich blue economy inherent in our maritime endowments”.
The ship was acquired by an indigenous shipping company, Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, and operates within and outside West Africa, targeting Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt and South Africa.
There was excitement on the part of the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, following the maiden call of a wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel “MV OCEAN DRAGON”, at Onne Port.
Dantsoho had during the reception for the vessel on Thursday, reiterated the commitment of the organization in promoting indigenous ownership of ships in Nigeria, saying this has been in line with President Bola Tinubu’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy.
Excited MD OF NPA said during the occasion, “Apart from the high loading capacity of 349 TEUs and several other distinctive features of this vessel, we are fascinated that MV Ocean Dragon is wholly Nigerian owned which speaks to the Renewed Hope “Nigeria first” policy of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR and the Nigerian Ports Authority’s renewed orientation towards Nigerian content development.
“That the very fact that this vessel which can move thousands of Gross Registered Tonnages across African destinations within days, signposts the Nigeria’s commitment to the dictates of International Association for Ports and Harbours (IAPH) on multi-modalism and seamless Port-Hinteland Connectivity.
“This gives us great delight as it supports the rationale behind NPA’s simplified export processes through the Export Processing Terminals (EPTs) conceptualized to link local producers of value in the remotest hinterland to the farthest international centres of demand”.
“Let me seize this moment to reiterate that the Authority’s port modernization project and ongoing reform initiatives around our Port Operations is cognizant of the need to sustain the enabling business environment that midwifed the year-on-year attainment of national trade surpluses.”
“With shipping volumes promising to get higher, forward-looking investments such as the one we are gathered here to celebrate will certainly have a big impact in the long run.
“Coming on the heels of increasing growth in Nigeria’s transhipment figures from the Lekki Deep Seaport and the expansion in external goods trade reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) thus far for 2025, the coming on stream of MV Ocean Dragon to propel even greater volumes symbolizes the fact that the Nigerian business environment is progressively getting better.
“I want to assure the global investment community that the Nigerian Ports Authority under the supervision of the investor-friendly Minister of Marine & Blue Economy His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola, will continue to galvanize stakeholder efforts to continuously promote the ease of doing business all in a concerted bid to optimize the rich blue economy inherent in our maritime endowments”.
The ship was acquired by an indigenous shipping company, Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, and operates within and outside West Africa, targeting Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt and South Africa.
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