President Muhammadu Buhari has officially commissioned the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Seaport, the very first in Nigeria.
The President commissioned the project, along many others, on the 2rd of January, 2023.
Some of the other projects the president commissioned include the 18.75km six-lane rigid-pavement Eleko Junction to Epe Expressway; the MRS Lubricant Factory in Apapa and the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History.
Others are the Lagos Rice Mill, Imota.
The Lagos Rice Mill, Imota, is one of the largest mills in Africa.
The Imota Rice Mill has the capacity to produce 32 tonnes per hour. At full capacity, the mill will create 1,500 direct jobs and 254,000 indirect jobs.
Breaking News: President Buhari has officially commissioned the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port which is a game changer spanning over 600 meters with the capacity to take over 16,000 standard containers. pic.twitter.com/bPdzBYa3Pl
— Mohammed Jammal (@whitenigerian) January 23, 2023
In 2022, the sea port received its first-ever vessel when the Zhen Hua 28 vessel berthed at the port.
This sea port will ease the traffic congestions Lagos faces as heavy trucks and tankers that usually block the roads while waiting queues to load containers and PMS will reduce.
For instance, it’s digitalised system makes it easy to identify containers from office for clearing. It also makes the process of clearing seamless.
ALSO READ: Lekki Sea Port Largest in West Africa
READ ALSO: Lekki Toll Gate: Nigerians Reject Reopening, Launch #NoJusticeNoToll
This system reduces too much physical interactions between humans and the containers.
Here is what you need to know about the Lekki Deep Sea Port:
Nature: It is the first port in Nigeria to have ship-to-shore cranes. Currently, it has about three of these cranes.
The super cranes which belong to “Super-post-Panamax” group, can offload unload the rearmost row of containers even if the container ship is wider than the Panama Canal (49m or 160ft maximum boat beam).
The STS cranes have a fixed rail at the quayside. They can lift 65 tons in twin-lift mode, 50 tons in single-lift mode or 85 tons under a hook.
Size:
It has a 1.5km long main where president Buhari was conducted round during the inspection.
The seaport spans over 600 meters, large enough to contain a vessel of up to 16,000 standard containers (TEU).
It also has an approach channel of 11 km long.
President Muhammadu Buhari commissions Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, Lagos Rice Mill, others as he is led by Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Terminals:
The Lekki Deep Sea Port has three terminals for specific purposes. They include: The Container terminal; The Liquid terminal, and The Dry Bulk terminal.
Container Terminal, for instance, has a prospective draft of 16.6 meters when it would be further dredged.
However, it currently has an initial draft of 4 metres and is able to handle 2.5 million 20-foot standard containers per year.
More on the features:
When phase 2 is completed, the deep sea port will have three liquid berths.
The liquid cargo terminal will handle vessels up to 45,000 DWT (dead weight tonnage) and can expand to reach a capacity of 160,000 DWT.
Liquids (like petrol or diesel) will be handled at a tank farm near the port.
The docking area is equipped with loading arms. It is also connected by pipelines along the breakwater.
and then