A Nigerian exporter has shipped 7,000 Metric Tonnes of Cocoa beans from the ECM Terminal at the Calabar Seaport in Cross River State, south-south Nigeria to the United States of America.
The Managing Director of Starlink Global and Ideal Limited, the Nigerian export company, Adeyemi Adeniji, stated that the cocoa beans were sourced from Ikom local government area of Cross River State which constituted a factor in utilizing the Calabar Port.
Direct export
Adeniji who stated that history was being made with the direct shipment of non-oil product from the Calabar seaport to the United States of America said: “in our search for a solution to different dimensional problems facing export in Nigeria, we opened a direct export from Calabar to the United States of America using a chartered vessel.”
“As a proud Nigerian company, our reserve is to elevate Nigeria’s name internationally by doing all we can to prove that we are resilient, resourceful and innovative and forward looking”, he added.
Adeniji remarked that though the cost of shipping directly from the Calabar seaport to the U.S. was higher when compared to the Lagos port, “the company was spending as much as 200,000USD to guarantee the safe passage of the chartered vessel. We are exporting 7,000 Metric Tonnes of Cocoa.”
He explained that it would take five days to load nearly one million bags of Cocoa into the vessel which will spend 17 days to arrive the United States of America.
Viable seaports
Flagging-off the loading of the vessel in Calabar, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, described the development as a sign of better things for the nation.
Usman, who spoke through the Port Manager of the NPA Calabar, Marie Asan, said “the Executive Management of NPA is pleased as it shows that the strategic measures put in place to make all the nation’s seaports viable and vibrant are beginning to produce positive outcomes.”
The NPA boss said that the management had introduced an inclusive governance system which has “brought modest milestones to Calabar Port in the areas of wreck removals, stimulation of container traffic, attraction of flat-bottom vessel traffic, restoration of broken down crafts” and more”.
She promised that the NPA would continue to enhance activities at the port and urged other shippers to emulate Starlink and advised the company to “consider collaborating with other Cross River-based Cocoa dealers in attracting regular traffic of vessels dedicated to Cocoa export to sustain this export opportunity.”
Dredging of Calabar Seaport
Governor Ben Ayade lauded the Nigerian shipping company for choosing to convey its cargo via the Calabar Port and said it was a plus to the ECM Terminal and Cross River State to have a vessel departing to the USA.
Ayade represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Mrs. Rosemary Archibong urged the Nigerian Government to implement the agreement reached with the concessionaires on dredging of the Calabar Seaport.
“Calabar Port is very strategic to the economic empowerment of Nigerians in view of the employment opportunities here. All we are appealing for now is for the Nigerian Government to expedite the dredging of the Calabar channel to really kick-start economic activities”, he said.
The Manager ECM Terminal, Edward Akpan, urged the Nigerian Government to address critical challenges at the Calabar Port since tackling congestion of the port in Apapa, Lagos State was critical.
Akpan, who stated that ECM Terminal is a member of the EcoMarine Group and concessionaires of the Calabar Port Terminal B with 30 years concession from the NPA, said: “dredging of the Calabar channel is critical; the deplorable state of the access road is another factor impeding the full potential of the port and requires urgent attention.”
He called for the re-introduction of the rebate regime to attract other shippers and integrate the Calabar seaport to the national rail link to further enhance access.
There were goodwill messages from the Managing Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Olusegun Awolowo and the Managing Director, Nigerian Export Import Bank, Abubakar Bello.
Nneka Ukachukwu
