FG Targets More Vessel Traffic At Onne, Rivers, Calabar Ports, Opens Road

 

The ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, on Tuesday, said it’s poised to provide facilitation and advocacy required to grow the vessel traffic to the Eastern port.

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Speaking at the commissioning of 4.8km road and Marine craft at Onne port, Rivers State, the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, disclosed that deepening efficiencies and full capacity utilisation of the Eastern ports constitutes one of the tools deployed to achieve the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) assigned to the ministry under the Presidential Performance Bond.

The minister who expressed happiness that the Onne and Calabar Port Complexes have met the requirements of the International Organization for Standardisation and are ISO certified said the newly commissioned mooring boats would further enhance the security and safety at the Eastern port.

According to him, providing an enabling environment for investors to patronise the Eastern ports is the top priority of the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry.

“This road infrastructure constructed by the Nigerian Ports Authority and the mooring boats we are gathered here to commission, is another testament to the commitment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under my watch to maximise the entire gamut of opportunities conferred on us by our maritime endowments, in line with the directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.


“The Mooring Boats are used to safety berth and unberth vessels calling at various pilotage districts. These six Mooring Boats are our own way of further enhancing the security and safety of our maritime space.

Deepening the efficiencies and full capacity utilisation of the strategic advantages of Onne and other Port Complexes in the eastern axis constitutes one of the tools we are deploying in actualizing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) assigned to us under the Presidential Performance Bond. We are now poised more than ever before to give the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) all the backing necessary to address all factors responsible for the underutilisation of these national assets,” Oyetola stated.

“Providing the enabling atmosphere and deepening investor confidence to patronise the Eastern Ports of Onne, Rivers, Warri and Calabar is top on the Ministry’s agenda,” he stated. Oyetola continued, “This is why I was delighted to learn that Onne and Calabar Port Complexes have met the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization and are thus ISO certified. This shows we are doing something right, but we cannot rest on our oars until all other Ports are certified.”

The minister, however, assured stakeholders that he would continue to grant approval for initiatives that would further enhance performance of the seaports.


“I have been briefed on the growth in numbers especially for exports emanating from Onne Port Complex, and I am impressed and poised to provide the facilitation and advocacy required to grow the vessel traffic to this important nucleus of growth.

“Although issues concerning the potentials of Onne have always dominated my correspondences with the NPA, I must say that this visit further convinces me that so much more can be achieved if we invest more in our Port infrastructure such as we are doing with the over $1Billion worth of reconstruction/rehabilitation investment in our Ports including Onne which is at its conclusive stage.

“I want to seize this occasion to commend the Management of NPA for the prudent application of resources that financed this project and to reiterate my earlier commitment to grant prompt approvals to initiatives that enable continuous improvement in the performance of our Ports,” he ended.

Speaking earlier, the managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, stated that the commissioning of the newly constructed road and deployment of the marine craft will positively impact cargo dwell time and win back huge revenues hitherto lost to terminal operators’ inability to meet their performance targets on account of inaccessibility to their lease areas due to bad road.


According to the NPA boss, the vast expanse of reclaimed land already leased for port development is actually a link to growth in new business opportunities and increased revenue for the national economy.

“The Phase 4B houses a significant portion of the untapped potentials of the Onne Port Complex, thus the completion of the Road “D” which the major arterial link to the new Berths 9, 10, 11 & 12 at Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) and vast expanse of reclaimed land already leased for port development is actually a link to growth in new business opportunities and increased revenue for the national economy.

“This road which stretches over a total of 4.8 Kilometres, covering two container terminals and caters to almost 1,000 trucks daily is indicative of the Authority’s positioning for the growth, competitiveness and future-readiness. By promoting the ease and speed of doing business in the port, this infrastructure deployment will positively impact cargo dwell time and win back huge revenues hitherto lost to terminal operators’ inability to meet their performance targets on account of inaccessibility to their lease areas due to bad road,” he stated.

Bello-Koko also demanded the minister’s support for the concrete fencing of a stretch of land at the Onne port to guard against unauthorised access.


“In addition to the 250mm Thick Reinforced Concrete Road we are here to commission, the scope of this project provides for Median and Side Drain with High Mast Tower Lighting of the dual carriageway port access road of the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) Onne. Cognizant of the fact that good road infrastructure requires a complement of sound marine craft and equipment, the Authority in addition to the Security Patrol Boats Commissioned by the minister last month, procured six modern Mooring Boats to enhance the efficiency of our harbour operations.

“Mooring Boats enhance safety by assisting the berthing and unberthing processes, enabling emergency response, vessel security and generally mitigating hazards associated with harbour operations. To enhance the security of the investments that will begin to sprout with the opening of this road, the minister’s support is also required for the concrete fencing of the stretch of land to guard against unauthorised access,” he stated.