In a major step towards improving cargo movement within Nigeria and across West Africa, Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited has launched the country’s first indigenous containership, MV Ocean Dragon. The vessel was officially unveiled at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos on Wednesday, drawing attention from key players in the maritime and logistics sectors.
The Vice President of Clarion Shipping, Mrs. Bernadine Eloka, explained that MV Ocean Dragon is designed to carry 349 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in one trip, a move that is expected to help reduce Nigeria’s over-reliance on road transport for moving containerised cargo.
Speaking during the unveiling, she said, “We are here to unveil the acquisition of Clarion Shipping Line MV Ocean Dragon, which is a vessel meant to service the Nigerian needs in terms of container movement from port to port. Instead of moving containers by road from Lekki to Apapa, Tincan, Onne, Port Harcourt, or Calabar, this vessel can load 349 containers and deliver them within two days to any Nigerian port.”
She added that the vessel is also capable of operating beyond Nigeria’s borders, servicing countries like Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and as far as Egypt and South Africa. The company says this expansion reflects its goal to become a key player in regional shipping and logistics.
Mrs. Eloka highlighted the financial difficulties involved in acquiring the vessel, noting that the biggest challenge was sourcing funds to execute the project. “Finance was the actual headache. Raising funds to invest in a project like this in Nigeria is not easy, but other than that, we didn’t face any major challenges,” she said.
She further stated that although the company previously operated ocean-going barges, none of them could match the capacity and service potential of MV Ocean Dragon. “This vessel changes everything for us,” she said, emphasising that it aligns with Nigeria’s push to enforce cabotage laws and support indigenous shipping companies.
Cabotage laws are meant to reserve domestic shipping services for Nigerian-owned and -crewed vessels. According to Mrs. Eloka, Clarion Shipping has fulfilled all the necessary conditions set by government agencies, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Nigeria Customs Service.
“Being fully indigenous means we should enjoy certain cabotage benefits. That was our motivation for acquiring this vessel. We have complied with all the regulatory requirements, and we expect support from the authorities going forward,” she said.
In his remarks, the President of Clarion Shipping, Mr. Innocent Eloka, expressed confidence in the company’s readiness to handle full port operations. “Clarion Group is now strategically positioned for all port operations. We rely on people, processes, and advanced technology to provide superior services. We will not relent in our efforts to reduce vessel waiting time, improve space management, and ensure quick turnaround to make port operations less stressful,” he said.
The Managing Director of the company, Mrs. Ada Eloka, also spoke about Clarion’s plans for MV Ocean Dragon. She said the ship will serve both the Nigerian coastline and the broader West African corridor. “We recognise West Africa as a market with a gap we could fill. Our goal is to connect ports in the region and offer reliable, efficient services that reduce dependence on road transport,” she explained.
The unveiling of MV Ocean Dragon comes at a time when Nigeria’s maritime sector is under pressure to modernise and reduce the logistics burden on road infrastructure. The movement of containers by road has long been fraught with delays, high costs, and road damage. Industry experts have consistently advocated for more investments in coastal shipping—also known as blue logistics—as a way to ease congestion and enhance trade efficiency.
Clarion Shipping’s move to deploy an indigenous containership is seen as a strategic response to this need, and a step towards realising the goals of the government’s Blue Economy policy, which seeks to maximise the economic potential of Nigeria’s coastal and inland waterways.
By introducing MV Ocean Dragon into service, Clarion Shipping joins a small group of private operators pioneering containerised cargo transport by sea within Nigeria and the subregion. The company hopes its efforts will encourage more players to invest in indigenous shipping and create jobs, while also improving trade links across the West African coast.
