The Lekki deep seaport has recorded another milestone today with the berthing of CMA CGM Rabelais, which is the largest vessel to have berthed since the commencement of commercial operations at the port in April 2023.
Announcing the development, the management of Lekki port said the vessel, which has a 300m Length Overall (LOA) and the capacity to carry an impressive 6570 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) will be discharging and loading an exchange of 200 TEUS while at Lekki Port.
The journey of the vessel originated from Shanghai, China and called at Lekki deep seaport.
The CMA CGM Rabelais has set a new record for the port and, indeed, the Lagos Pilotage District, as being the largest vessel in ship dimensions to berth in the district, second only to the largest FPSO in the world, Total’s Egina FPSO.
The vessel, safely maneuvered to berth by the Nigerian Ports Authority led by Pilot Fagbo Sayid, sailed from Shanghai and made brief stops at Kribi and Cotonou before sailing to Lekki Port.
According to the Managing Director, Lekki Port, Du Ruogang, this milestone attests to the readiness of the port to become a major hub for global trade and logistics, which is evident in its capacity to receive larger vessels.
Commenting on the milestone, the Asst. Harbour Master for Lekki Port, Captain Monday Gajere said the thorough navigation risk assessment involving Pilots, Tugs, and Mooring gangs which set the pace for seamless berthing of the large cargo carrier is a demonstration of the Authority’s talent-readiness to maximize the competitive advantages that Lekki Port deep draught and state-of-the-art equipment offers as Nigeria advances towards attaining Port hub status.
Responding to the development, Mohammed Bello Koko, Managing Director/CEO said “the fact that this vessel is departing country on the same day it berthed is a fulfillment of our promise to deliver speedy cargo dwell time through improved efficiencies, and state of the art machinery and I am delighted to assure you that we are committed to continuously improving on this milestone”.