President Bola Tinubu is set to officially inaugurate the upgraded West Africa Container Terminal in Onne, Rivers State, next Wednesday, as announced by the terminal operator in a statement on Sunday.
The statement noted that the extensive upgrade project, valued at $115 million (approximately N178.2 billion), began at WACT in 2021.
It also highlighted that the terminal, operated by APM Terminals in Onne, Rivers State, is the largest and most efficient container terminal in Nigeria outside of Lagos.
Jeethu Jose, Managing Director of WACT, stated that the completion of the upgrade represents a significant milestone in the history of Nigerian ports.
“We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the upgrade of our terminal at Onne Port. This will be a game-changer for Nigeria, and we are thoroughly excited about it.
“The fresh investment of $115m is a further testament to the trust and confidence that APMT has in the Nigerian economy and contributes to our purpose of improving lives for all while lifting global trade,” Jose stated.
WACT is Nigeria’s first greenfield container terminal developed under a public-private partnership model. Strategically located within the oil and gas free zone in Onne, Rivers State, the terminal has become a key gateway for accessing markets beyond Lagos and serves as a crucial conduit for the rapidly growing economy of Eastern Nigeria.
On August 15, 2020, WACT made history by receiving the largest container vessel ever to dock at a Nigerian port. The vessel, Maersk Stadelhorn, is 300 meters long with a beam of 48.2 meters and can carry approximately 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers.
