Onne Port welcomes its largest container vessel

The Onne seaport in Rivers State recorded a milestone last Saturday when port officials, clearing agents and business leaders gathered to witness the inaugural call of the largest container vessel to berth at the Eastern port.

Stardelhorn vessel, operated by Maerskline, a leader in shipping and logistics, started its first direct ocean carrier service between it and Onne Port, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday.

The Maerskline Stardelhorn vessel, with a length overall of 300 metres and width 48 metres, and her excellent transit time, will significantly improve the competitiveness of imports and exports to the SouthEastern region and, indeed, transform Onne’s economic landscape.

The vessel, received at the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), Onne, at 4.20pm, has a capacity of 9,971(TEUs) and is a flagship from Singapore.

The success of the port managers in attracting this new service to Onne Port resulted from the acquisition of new container gantry cranes, which coincided with the expansion and dredging of the channel, allowing for larger ships to serve the port.

The position of the port on the Gulf of Guinea also complements trading in the area.

The Manager of the Onne Port, Mr Alhasssan Abubakar, said, “We are delighted to welcome the Maerskline Stardelhorn vessel. This is a further testament that activities at the port will be beyond what they are. This area is home to the state’s largest concentration of distribution centres and is now the heartbeat of the Eastern ports.”

The General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Nigerian Ports Authority, Jatto A. Adams, said the vessel was brought in from Fairway Bouy Bonny with the aid of three tug boats operated by three of the Authority’s pilots.

A visibly excited Adams said the vessel was received by the Onne Ports Manager, Mr Abubakar.

“The Authority is delighted to state that the landmark arrival of the biggest gearless Maerskline vessel at the Onne Ports is a result of management’s determination to improve the patronage of the Eastern Ports. It is an indication of the fact that the Eastern Ports are equipped to receive all manner of vessels and an expansion of the options of consignees in the Eastern and northern parts of the country.

“The management of the NPA congratulates its team at the Onne Ports. Management also appreciates all stakeholders at the Onne Port for their cooperation towards seeing that the vessel berthed safely without any challenge. The Authority assures of its commitment in ensuring that all ports locations in Nigeria work at their optimal capacity and the repositioning of Nigerian ports as the hub in the sub-region,” he added.