Nigeria’s first deep seaport has reached 51% completion.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Managing Director of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (LPLEL), promoters of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Du Ruogang disclosed that the construction work on deep seaport has reached 51 percent completion and some major milestones such as completion of Eastern breakwater had been achieved.
Ruogang stated this in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria while taking journalists on a tour to assess the level of progress on the construction work at the Lekki Port project site.
He restated the company’s commitment to meet the 2022 target date set for the completion of the project.
Gatekeeper News reports that the Lekki Port, will upon completion, have an aggregate economic impact of $361 billion over 45 years, creating no less than 169,972 jobs and generating revenue for both state and federal government agencies through taxes, royalties and duties in the process.
Ruogang noted that all hands were already on deck to deliver first of its kind Deep Sea Port in Nigeria as one of the shareholders, the Nigerian Ports Authority had commenced work to initiate marine services at the site.
He further expressed confidence that the Lekki Deep Sea Port would change the narrative of Nigeria’s maritime sector and consequently impact Nigeria’s economic development.
Also, the Chief Technical Officer, LPLEL, Steven Heukelom, while explaining some of the features of the Deep Sea Port, noted that five-ship to shore cranes and fifteen rubber tyre gantry cranes are being put in place to ensure ease in cargo evacuation, thus enhancing operation at the port.
Heukelom, revealed that the Port which is being constructed on 90 hectares of land and through the Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) arrangement would comprise of three Container, three Liquid and one Dry Bulk berth.
The CTO further noted that 55.75 percent of the dredging and reclamation have so far been done while construction of the Quay Wall has reached 43.14 per cent.
Heukelom stated that landside infrastructure made up of administrative buildings, sewage treatment plant, container yards among others for the project are ongoing with completion reaching 27.18 per cent.
He explained that the project has succeeded in providing employment opportunities for about 1,200 Nigerians with 50 of them from the host community.
