By Comfort Olayinka
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to advancing indigenous ownership of shipping vessels, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s “Nigeria First” policy.
Dantsoho made this known during the ceremonial maiden call of MV OCEAN DRAGON, a wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel, at the West African Container Terminal (WACT) in the Onne Port Complex.
Owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, the MV Ocean Dragon boasts a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) and is expected to bolster coastal shipping across Nigeria’s eastern corridor—from Onne to Calabar—in compliance with the Cabotage Law and in support of increased ship traffic and indigenous maritime operations.
“Beyond the vessel’s high loading capacity and distinctive features, the fact that MV Ocean Dragon is wholly Nigerian underscores our alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda and the NPA’s commitment to local content development,” Dantsoho said.
He further emphasized that the vessel’s ability to transport thousands of Gross Registered Tonnages (GRT) across African destinations within days reflects Nigeria’s dedication to international maritime standards, particularly the International Association for Ports and Harbours (IAPH) directives on multimodalism and port-hinterland connectivity.
“This development complements the rationale behind the NPA’s Export Processing Terminals (EPTs), designed to connect local producers deep in the hinterlands with global markets efficiently,” he added.
Dantsoho also highlighted ongoing reforms and the NPA’s port modernization project, noting that they aim to maintain the enabling environment that has helped Nigeria achieve consistent trade surpluses in recent years.
He linked the vessel’s launch with recent positive trends in Nigerian maritime trade: “With rising transshipment volumes at Lekki Deep Seaport and increased external trade reported by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in 2025, the arrival of MV Ocean Dragon signals a maturing business climate in Nigeria.”
He assured the international business community of continued support under the leadership of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola, describing him as “investor-friendly” and pivotal to promoting ease of doing business and tapping into Nigeria’s rich maritime potential.
The MV Ocean Dragon will operate along both local and regional sea routes, offering a cost-effective alternative to road transport. Its scheduled destinations include ports in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and South Africa.
The vessel’s deployment is expected to significantly contribute to Nigeria’s push for efficient short-sea shipping, regional trade integration, and sustainable investment in the blue economy
