Business
Lagos Deep Seaport: Nigeria’s bold step to maritime hub
By AYOOLA OLAOLUWA
After years of dashed hopes and disappointments, the Lekki Deep SeaPort – amulti-purpose seaport at the heart of the Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFTZ) championed by the trio of Tolaram Group, a Singaporean company, Lagos State government and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) –is due to start operations in the third quarter of the year.
Apart from the Dangote Refinery, the port project is another venture that is being closely watched, with many Nigerians agreeing that it could be the economic game changer that would lift Nigeria’s stalled economy from the doldrums.
“There’s a lot riding on these projects (Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deepsea Port). Of course, goverment officials and economic experts on their payroll say that every time, if for no other reason than to trumpet their own achievements and sustaining their retainership. But this time around, even the most cynical among us see the importance of the two projects”, said Dr.
Rasheed Oyaromade, a Senior Lecturer in the Economics Department of the Osun State University, Osogbo.
Conceived in 2008 during the administration of former Governor Babatunde Fashola, construction work on the ports pread over 90 hectares of land in the heart of the Lagos Free Zone did not start until mid 2012.
The Tolaram Group, which has the concession to build and operate the port for 45 years, has the highests take of 75% in the project, followed by the Lagos State government 20% and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)5%.Financed by private investors and a consortium of banks who have funded the project with $2billions ofar,the port which is being developed in phases has the China Harbour Engineering, a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company, as the builder.
Its phase one, which will be operational in the third quarter of the year, is made up of three container berths equipped to handle more than 2.7 million TEUs—one berth for dry bulk goods and two berths for liquid cargo;
Once operational in the third quarter of 2022,the seaport which will be the deepest port in Sub-Saharan African region, is part of the promoters’ quest to capture regional trade with massive growth potentials but poor infrastructure.
In the second phase, capacity will be expanded to 6 million TEUs containers per-annum, with ship able to transport over 14,500 containers, as well as a significant volume of liquid and dry bulk uncontainerized cargoes. Already,the project has reached 80% completion stage.
For instance, dredging and reclamation works is 89.93 percent completed; quay wall 85.65percent completed; two breakwaters (one rubble mound with geo-bagcore for the near-shore sections and a composite breakwater for the more exposed sections) 79.66percent completed and land side infrastructure 67.82 percent completed.
The secondary breakwater has been replaced by a barrier which consists of a core from sand internally fortified by a protective geo-baglayer, are vetment on the harbour side and an artificial beach on the sea ward side.
Upon completion, the Lekki Deep Sea Port will become the nation’s 7th seaport after the Lagos Port Complex, TinCan Island Port(TCIP), also in Lagos, Calabar Port (Cross Rivers State), Delta Port(Delta), Rivers Port (Rivers State), and Onne Port (Rivers State).
According to maritime experts, Nigeria has not been able to compete with smaller West African nations with deeper sea ports that could accommodate bigger and heavier vessels.
“The trend for container ships to become ever larger and heavier has forced ports within the region to compete with ever deeper navigation channels, longer wharves and more sophisticated cranage.
“So, kudos should be given to the promoters of the project as the Lekki Deep Sea will be able to accommodate ultra large shipsable to transport more than 14,500 containers”, said Tayo Alasoadura, the CEO of Lesban Global Services, a freight forwarding firm based in Lagos.
Speaking to the media during a tour of the facility, the Chief Technical Officer, Lekki Port, Steven Heukelom, said construction work on the project was oncourse and as scheduled. He also disclosed that work had commenced on the marine services jetty, which the NPA would use to carryout their marine services obligation.
The port’s Chief Operating Officer(COO), Laurence Smith, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to delivering the project by the fourth quarter of 2022.
He said the project contractor, China Habour Engineering LFTZ Enterprise, was working day and night to make this commitment a reality.
The COO expressed confidence that apart from being a world-class port, the port would be come a regional distribution and transhipment hub for the African region when completed.
Also speaking, the Managing Director (Africa), Tolaram Group, Haresh Aswani, assured that the project would be completed soon, adding that it will generate over $300 billion revenue for Lagos and Federal Government. He said the project would support and enhance the growth of various free zones in the area.
BH gathered that the port is expected to contribute over $361 billion to the government as revenue and create over 200,000 jobs over the term of the concession which is 45 years. Apart from boosting the economy of the host city, it is also expected to spur the growth and industrialisation of adjoining areas of Ajah, Epe, and Lagos State as a whole.
Already, a number of new key road and bridge projects and expansion of existing highways are currently being developed, connecting the port furtherinto the hinterlands. An elated Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, during the tour of the port, expressed satisfaction with the level of progress recorded.
“I want to congratulate you for the very huge progress. By the time we came here, there were no civil works; it was just pure sand. You have tried.
“I am suggesting that if you work day and night you will go far and complete the work before commissioning. If the president sees it, approval will be easier.
“You need to speed up the work so we can get approval from the government side before election, process of election will be completed in July.
“This is because by law, six months to election people start politics and if you wait till that time, you won’t meet anyone in the office,” the minister of transportation said.
