NPA in fresh move to revive Calabar port to boost business
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Friday flagged off the operations of Calabar Channel Management (CCM), a joint venture company between NPA and Messrs Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited.
The new company is expected carry out capital and maintenance dredging of Calabar water channel, which is well known for its shallow draught that has hampered bigger vessels from calling Calabar port in the last decades.
With the establishment of CCM, dredgers, survey vessels, buoyage tender, wreck removal crane and other ancillary marine crafts will be deployed to the water channel for the commencement of the project which will kick off in the next three weeks.
For industry close watchers, this is a strong indication that robust business activities will in the next couple of months begin to take place in the ancient city of Calabar, as well as the entire South-South states that will benefit from efficient service delivery at the port. This effort, they say, is coming at a period of renewed global interest in trade and investment in the Nigeria maritime sector.
The product of this investment, according to the industry watchers, will certainly address the quest by ship owners to have more dedicated ports that will play host to larger and deep draught vessels, which is now the trend in international shipping business.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government had in the past made several investments in the dredging of Calabar port so as to ensure safe navigation, but such efforts had proved abortive.
BusinessDay checks reveal that instead of contracting the project, NPA decided, according to its mandate, to outsource it to its joint venture company so as to ensure timely and efficient delivery of the project for the benefit of the economy. The authority says outsourcing such project was favourable considering the success recorded with both Lagos and Bonny Channel Managements.
Further findings indicate a need for a total overhauling of the major transport infrastructure within and around Cross River State if the impact of Calabar port is to be felt. This is because as the port authority is delivering on the port infrastructure, the Federal Government needs to complement the effort by modernising the long-abandoned Ikom Bridge as well as dualise and resurface of Odukpani road, which is currently in a bad state. This will lead to enhanced cargo delivery to importers’ warehouses because these two highlighted roads connect Cross River State with other states.
“It is expected that the dredging of the water channel will increase the volume of vessel traffic and cargo throughput in the port, decongest Lagos ports and reduce cost of doing business for Calabar-based businessmen who spend additional transport cost to take delivery of their consignments in Lagos and Onne ports,” said President Goodluck Jonathan during the official flag-off of CCM operations in Calabar.
According to the president, who was represented by Idris Umar, minister of transport, deepening of the long-abandoned Calabar channel would not only help in reviving the port, which was developed in the 1970s to service the South-South, South-East and nearby North-Eastern states, but will also help in opening the state for more businesses to thrive.
The president noted that the dredging project was a huge milestone that would provide adequate port infrastructure and services to Nigerian business community in line with the transformation agenda of the current administration. He further urged CCM to diligently and properly discharge its responsibilities as assigned in the terms of contract for the economic growth of Cross River State.
Habib Abdullahi, managing director, NPA, in his welcome address said the aim of the joint venture was to open up market for Calabar and the entire South-South region.
The NPA boss, who promised that the port authority would do all within its capacity to ensure that the joint venture company delivers on its mandate, added that the new project would also help in creating employment for Nigerians as well as increase the revenue generation of both the state and the Federal Government through the port.
“We the people of Cross River State have been anticipatory for the opening up of business opportunities in Calabar Port and its inherent economic advantages. Once the channel is dredged, the economic potentials of the state will grow because there are many investors, which include Calabar Free Trade Zone, ECM Terminals, Tinapa, agric, cement and pipeline construction companies that depend on the channel for the growth of their businesses,” said Liyel Imoke, Cross River State governor.
Imoke, who disclosed that the economic growth of his state depended on the success of the dredging project, also pleaded with the Federal Government to allow Calabar port operate as free port as that would serve as an incentive that would attract investors into the state.
Pieter Van Hekken, managing director, CCM, said the company was ready to transform Calabar port to become the choicest port to the shipping community. He added that the synergy with NPA would serve as a platform to train and develop local manpower in the maritime sector.
Uzoamaka Anagor