MV Adobia’s Maiden Voyage Opens Up Business In Calabar Port

AT last, hope has come the way of Calabar Port after years of inactivity due to its shallow channel, the deplorable state of the Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene-Aba and Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja-katsina Ala roads, and the low canopy Ikom bridge that made it impossible for container-carrying trucks to pass to or from the Northern part of the country.

    Draft at approach of the Calabar channel is 6.4 metres at high tide and 5.4 metres at low tide, whereas the concession agreement stipulated that the Federal Government will take the draft to 9.5metres; and the Bureau on Public Enterprise (BPE) had confirmed that this would be achieved on start of business. But this is not so on ground.  Worried by this poor trend, the Federal Government had, on not less than four occasions, organised the dredging of the port to no avail. Bad roads did not help matters, as businessmen in the Calabar Free Trade Zone and Tinapa and cocoa merchants resorted to alternatives, leaving Calabar Port to lie fallow.

MINISTER of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, recently set up a committee headed by Mrs. Dabney Holma of the Nigerian Shippers Council to, among other things, look into problems facing the low patronage of the Eastern ports comprising Onne, Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele and Koko...with a view to introducing measures capable of stimulating patronage of the Eastern ports; and make appropriate recommendations on how to ensure effective utilisation of the Eastern ports.”

  The hope for business boom in Calabar Port is gingered by the emergence of African Independent (A.I) Feeder introducing a new liner direct service to Calabar Port. The development came as cheery news for importers and exporters in the North East, Middle Belt, South South and South East of the country, as it removed the risks and hazards of driving through the bad roads leading into Calabar.  

    Mrs. Iton Aniefiok, managing director of Right Flow Logistics expressed excitement when the A.I. Feeder vessel, MV Adobia made its first call at Calabar Port with her containers last week.

   She said: “For the past four years, there was no cargo vessel coming to Calabar. We used to bring in our consignments from Lagos and Onne seaports; and, because of the nature of the roads connecting Port Harcourt to Calabar, we had difficulties getting those containers to their destination. Most of the time the containers had to fall because of the bad roads and the consignment got damaged and we spent a lot of money lifting the containers when they fall.  

“The hardship was real, and we prayed that the Calabar sea port will kick off again with a cargo vessel. Early this year my clients after suffering so much losses through the fall of containers and delays at the ports coupled with security issues and others put a call to me that we should come to ECM (Eco Marine) terminal, Calabar,  to find a way they can get direct vessel to Calabar,  so that we can get our consignment direct from port of loading to our destination which is Calabar instead of relying on the neigbhouring states. So that is how we discovered them. My clients in China were interested but at the same time skeptical”

     Watching with excitement as containers were being off loaded at the Calabar Port, Mrs. Aniefiok declared, “I am satisfied with their smooth service. I do not have any regret working with them. What has happened to Calabar Port today is marvelous and I am encouraging other importers and exporters to come to Calabar now.”

    This is a maiden voyage,” said the Executive Chairman of A.I. Feeder, Mr. Stanley Ahorlu.  “There was almost absence of confidence and belief that it could ever happen by the market participants. When we came saying that we are bringing direct service to Calabar the market was very skeptical and understandably so because several shipping lines had promised such services but it did not really come true for the participants in the market and they had continued to suffer trading by way of import and export through Onne, Lagos and others. Now they have a direct service and this direct service is here to stay.”

     Giving details of the maiden voyage, he said, “we came into this market in November 2013 marketing and exploring the possibility of commencing the service, and, two days ago (September 23), the maiden voyage was undertaken and truly we have served customers in this market and they are happy with our services.

   “This is at great cost to us because of the number of containers we brought in. We have a capacity for 650 containers (20 footer each). The vessel is 100 metres in length, has its own gear, cranes and it is the most suitable vessel for this port as far as containers are concerned. So, the vessel itself is actually selected for this market, because without our kind of cranes, we would not have been able to discharge the containers. 

   Some major lines — even though it is not an issue — have cited the draft through the channel as excuse for not ever calling Calabar. But we have shown that it can be done and that the service can be sustained. We have a service for a monthly call and we are going to start off with the bi-weekly call and a weekly call depending on the volumes.

    “What we are doing is part of our business strategy to develop our shipping with regards to our need ports, and Calabar is an example of that need port. We choose a port along the West African coasts, which is not actually being served by the multinational lines for one reason or the other, which has business that Africans are yearning to ship out. 

   “We, as an indigenous African company, chose these ports. Our business strategy is to link ports in West Africa. So we move cargo from hard ports to minor ports like Calabar.”

TRACING the performance of A.I.Feeder, Ahorlu said, “we have been operating in Ghana for the past one and half years. We have gone to Ports like Lome, Abidjan, Monrovia, Lagos, Tema and Takwade. This is how we have been plying for the past one and half years. Ours is multi-purpose vessel; so, it can take great bulk cargo. We just dropped great bulk cargo in Lagos. We have carried cocoa mainly through Takwade and Tema, which is in line with our business. This is special to us because Calabar has a unique special position in terms of shipping. This is a river port that has a free trade zone, with cargoes being imported into the free trade zone and exported out regularly.

   “With our coming, we have basically solved the problem of importers and exporters here going to Onne. With us, the importer or exporter does not need to do two shipping. If he is shipping from China, he simply calls us to take his cargo, give a bill of lading and he pays his freight and he simply gets his cargo in Calabar. We have been able to deliver that because we have an arrangement with the deep sea or multinational lines that enable us to do the deep sea leg from China to Tema, which is our transshipment port. It is even made easier because in Tema, we have an arrangement with the ports authority, just as we have an arrangement with ECM Terminal in Calabar. 

   “Our arrangement with Tema Port allows our cargo to come and move out swiftly. So, there is no delay in Tema because of the relationship we have forged with the port. So, if a Calabar importer or exporter simply calls and gives us the cargo, we are responsible for the cargo moving from Shanghai to Europe, America coming straight down to Tema (our transshipment port); then, our feeder vessel caries it quickly to Calabar. 

  Also commenting on this maiden voyage and the new Calabar Direct Service (CDS), the General Manager of ECM Terminal, Mr. Kingsley Iheanacho, said: “As you are aware, Calabar Port has been saddled with the problem of shallow draft and recent attempt to dredge was abandoned, hence the contract awarded to dredge the channel was not completed.  The job that was done has already been covered up with silt. You know Calabar port has the highest siltation rate of over 30 percent, which makes it very necessary for the government to make true their pledge to dredge the channel and also put in place a maintenance dredging company. 

     “The Federal Government had, last year, established a maintenance dredging company for Calabar channel, which is known as the Calabar Channel Management company. But, as you know, major shipping lines in the country have been very reluctant to come to Calabar citing the hindrance of shallow channel. But destiny and good faith smiled on Calabar port when a company led by a very dynamic young man, Mr. Stanley Ahorlu, the Chairman of A.I. Feeder, saw the opportunity in Nigeria (precisely Calabar) and decided to yield to our request of establishing a linkage between Calabar port and the entire world’s container shipping market.”

   “When he said he was going to do it, we did not believe he meant business. Lots of seminars and road shows were undertaken, held several meetings with importers/exporters in the East, including corporate organisations in the CFTZ. The question on everyone’s lips was, are they going to provide the ship. If you provide the ship, we will provide the cargo. So, he went ahead and bought a very fantastic vessel (650 tones in capacity).

   “Two days ago, the vessel came with import shipment for some companies in the CFTZ and their partners are Evergreen, Zim Lines, MOL, and Hapag Lloyd that use Tema in Ghana. They also partner with ECM Terminal to use our facility for the berthing of their vessels.” 

On the issue of bad roads, Iheanacho said, “what is happening now is a good reason for government to jump-start these projects (dredging, bad roads, Ikom bridge canopy and others). We are not losing faith in Calabar Port, but taking the bull by the horn.

   The challenge is now thrown back to government, because many importers and exporters would want to utilise this opportunity. So, we are pleading with the government to do something fast about the state of the Calabar-Itu-Ikot Ekpene-Aba Road and the Calabar-Ikom-Ogoja-katsina/Ala highway, which are really in deplorable condition.”