Nigeria’s First Fully Indigenous Container Liner Begins Operation

Clarion Shipping West Africa has launched Nigeria’s first fully indigenous container liner to boost regional trade and reduce reliance on foreign transshipment services.

The company began operations on July 3 with the arrival of its first vessel, MV Ocean Dragon, at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.

The 322-foot (98-meter) vessel, with a deadweight of 6,100 tonnes and a capacity of 349 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), was acquired from Chinese owners.

The vessel, built in 2014, sails under the Panamanian flag. However, Clarion says 70% of the crew is Nigerian and plans to increase this number in the future to support local maritime development.

Clarion said it faced several challenges in acquiring and delivering the ship, including language barriers, technical issues, and an engine failure in Malaysia that forced the vessel to turn back during the trip.

The entire journey from China to Nigeria took 60 days. The company also noted the difficulty of flying Nigerian crew members to China, stating that it was essential to have a fully Nigerian team operate the vessel from the start.

According to the company, the vessel’s main role will be to transport cargo across Nigerian ports and eventually expand into the West African corridor. It plans to move containers between Nigerian ports like Lekki, Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Onitsha, offering a sea-based alternative to road transport, which is currently high-risk and costly.

The Vice President of Clarion Shipping West Africa, Bernadine Eloka, said the company acquired Ocean Dragon to provide a faster and more reliable alternative to trucks. She explained that the vessel can move up to 349 containers by sea and deliver them within two days from port to port.

Eloka added that enforcing Nigeria’s cabotage rules would encourage more local investment, create maritime jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign shipping lines.

Clarion said it has already booked 1,300 export containers for the new service, helping farmers and manufacturers avoid delays and losses caused by container shortages and road congestion.

The Managing Director of Clarion Suncity Terminal Logistics Limited, Mustafa Mohammed, said the company would aggressively compete with global players like Maersk and MSC by investing in shipping assets that directly support Nigerian importers and exporters, especially in the under-served northern region.

The vessel was officially berthed at Tin Can Port with the assistance of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which deployed its advanced marine crafts at 05:05 a.m. on July 2.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Abubakar Dantsoho, called the development a sign of Nigeria’s commitment to improving its marine and blue economy sector. He added that the country recently approved a national marine and blue economy policy to support local content and sustainable port development. He also mentioned a $60 million investment in eco-friendly ports under this policy.

The company plans to operate routes not just within Nigeria, but also to the Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. It is also exploring future services to Egypt and South Africa.

During the event, Clarion disclosed plans to expand its fleet by acquiring another vessel with a capacity of 1,789 TEUs. This ship will focus on export services to Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria.

Reference: Nigerian Ports

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