Lekki Port receives first transshipment vessel destined for Cotonou

The management of Lekki Deep Sea Port has announced the arrival of the CMA CGM RIMBAUD, the first transshipment vessel to call at the container terminal of Lekki Deep Sea Port.

The vessel, which arrived at approximately 1.00 pm today, June 29, contains cargo from two of the largest container shipping lines in the world, CMA CGM and Maersk.

The service originated from the Far East, passing through Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha, Tanjung Pelpas, Singapore to Kribi, Cameroun, before finally arriving at Lekki Port.

According to the Lekki port management, the vessel is carrying 411 TEUs of transshipment cargo and has a nominal container handling capacity of 6,900 TEUs and will be departing for Cotonou, its final destination, on July 16, 2023.

Recall that the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Muhammed Bello-Koko, had disclosed that officials from Chad, Niger Republic and Cotonou were in Nigeria to discuss transshipment of their cargoes last month.

Speaking on the milestone, the Managing Director, Lekki Port, Du Ruogang, expressed his appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Ports Authority for their support in ensuring the start of transshipment activities at Lekki Port.

Also speaking, the Chief Operating Officer, Lekki Port, Laurence Smith, noted that all regulatory agencies operating at the port, particularly the Nigerian Customs Service worked together with Lekki Port and the container terminal operator, Lekki Freeport Terminal, to ensure a hitch-free arrival of the vessel and processing of cargo.

“Lekki Port, with its state-of-the-art Ship to Shore cranes and sophisticated scanners, is now poised to position Nigeria as the preeminent transshipment hub of West Africa. The transshipped cargo will be departing for Cotonou, its final destination, on July 16, 2023,” he stated.