Construction completed on Nigeria’s $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port
The world’s second largest deep sea port, Lekki International Port in Nigeria, is close to completion, with the first vessels expected to arrive in early 2014. The $1.5 billion project, which is being jointly funded by the European Union and the Chinese government, will enable the port to become an integrated hub for all of East Africa.
Lekki International Port (I/Lekki) is one of the largest deep sea ports in Africa. Lekki is being constructed in Lagos, Nigeria and is being constructed by a consortium of leading international shipowners including Aalborg Shipping, DNV and STX. The project is expected to be completed in 2014 and be operational in 2015.
Lekki International Port (I/Lekki) will be the largest international port in Africa. It is located at the southern end of the Indian Ocean, about 1,300m deep. Lekki International Port will comprise nine separate berths and a number of associated facilities. To make it the world’s largest deep sea port, Lekki will feature 573,000m² of quayside, 18 berthing berths, a shipyard, a cargo handling facility and a passenger terminal.
Project timeline
Project timeline
The project is scheduled to be completed in 2014. The first vessels are expected to dock in early 2014. The Lekki team, headed by T&H Group and China State Shipbuilding Corporation, are already working on the shipyard site, which opened in November 2013. In April, the first vessel, a bulk carrier, docked at the port.
The project follows the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) recommendation that all new deep sea ports should be constructed to a standard of at least 60% of the ‘maximum sustainable’ efficiency by 2020.
