Mohammed Bello-Koko, The Managing Director of the Nigerian Port Authority has disclosed that One Port has witnessed high vessel traffic.
Bello-Koko made this known recently in Lagos at the inauguration of the newly acquired security boats by NPA.
He added that the agency would continue to promote growth in the fortune of eastern ports.
Onne Port Complex situated on the Bonny River Estuary along Ogu Creek, is the first port in Nigeria to operate the Landlord Port Model devised to encourage private sector participation in the maritime industry.
Bello-Koko said, “Onne Port has recently witnessed increased vessel traffic; we cannot rest on our laurels. We will continue to push the advocacy and galvanise stakeholder opinion towards growing the fortunes of the Eastern Ports.”
Bello-Koko stressed that the newly acquired security boats would increase vessel traffic to the eastern ports.
“I am especially delighted to say that these security patrol boats position us to achieve our set goal of driving increased vessel traffic to the eastern ports of Onne, Rivers, Warri, and Calabar Port Complexes, where four of the vessels commissioned have been allocated,” Bello-Koko said.
He noted that the distinctive features and multiple functionalities of those marine crafts and the game-changing effect they bring to bear.
“Our security preparedness and capacity to respond to emergent threats are enormous. I have chosen to refrain from mentioning those superlatives here because of the security implications of doing so.
The NPA boss stated that, “Our profound appreciation also goes to our highly valued security partners; the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, the DSS and the Lagos State Government, whose collaborations continue to enhance our ability to detect, deter and respond to security threats and incidents before they fester.”
He declared that the event was a testament to the agency’s commitment to continuous improvement in the journey towards transforming, “our strategic intent of becoming the maritime logistics hub for sustainable ports services in Africa from potential to actualities”.