The Chief Operating Officer of Lekki Deep Seaport, Lawrence Smith, has said the sailing time of vessels using the Lekki Deep Seaport is usually shortened by about a week.
Smith said this in an interview in the December edition of ‘Nigerian Ports Today’, a monthly publication of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He added that the deep seaport will boost the economy of the country.
“Obviously, we are here to make money. The major influence of the Lekki deep seaport is to boost the economy of Nigeria. For example, if a vessel comes to Nigeria through the Lekki port, it saves about a week of sailing time and saves fuel. There is a great advantage geographically of where the Lekki port is.”
Smith said that the Lekki Deep Seaport was aware that there were many cargoes that do not come to Nigeria directly for various reasons.
According to him, the intention of the company is to make Nigeria a maritime hub in Africa.
“We want the Nigerian cargoes to come to Nigeria and also other African cargoes that are going farther north to come through Nigeria and to transship to those countries.”
He, however, blamed the lack of infrastructure as the reason for Nigeria’s low exports, adding that the port could become a catalyst that would change the trend.
“What I am saying is that we can create a refrigerated cargo and export crops that can get to marketplaces. It is a great opportunity and everybody has to be thinking in the same way,” he asserted.
Addressing the fears that the coming on stream of Lekki port will affect Apapa and Tincan island ports, he said, “We are not here to drive Apapa and Tincan out of business. They are also catalysts for the economic growth of Nigeria.”
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