… opens Eastern trade routes

German shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd, one of the world’s largest container shipping lines, has launched operations at the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) operated by APM Terminals in Onne, Rivers State.

The launch marks the commencement of a weekly shipping service that directly connects Eastern Nigeria to Europe and other international markets.

This is hailed as a lever to enhance export capacity, reduce transit times, and ensure reliable scheduling for shippers.

“This is an important milestone in East Nigeria for building its potential,” said Frederik Klinke, CEO of APM Terminals Nigeriaduring the launch earlier in the week. “We in APM Terminals have a very strong belief in the East Nigerian market…What we are really trying to do is to lift the East Nigerian market. There is a lot of trade potential that requires better logistic solutions,” Klinke said.

He said APM Terminals had invested up to $115 million in the terminal in the past year to boost capacity and make trade easier.

Read also: WACT-APM Terminals begins 713-metre drainage project in Onne to tackle flooding

“Getting a new shipping line is an extremely important milestone because that means incremental growth. It means additional opportunities for shippers, and it means that there are new services that are available to the people, new goods and new export markets to explore,” he added.

Klinke also described the surge in customer interest as a vote of confidence thanks to the facility’s modernisation efforts.

For Hapag-Lloyd, the move is strategic. The company’s country managing director, Himmat Ahlawat, said, it considers Nigeria as one of the most important markets, “if not the most important in Africa and Eastern Nigeria.”

Without calling Eastern Nigeria, it says its ambitions in the region “will remain unfulfilled.”

Hapag-Lloyd, headquartered in Hamburg, operates 308 vessels with a transport capacity of 12.5 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) and has continued to expand globally, now operating in over 130 countries.

The company promises Nigeria an unrivalled customer service and digitisation of operations for transparency, which the Nigerian market “has still not started using.”

“Ninety-five percent of our containers are tracked,” Ahlawat said. “This is very crucial anywhere in the world…One thing you can be assured of is that we will not cut corners over safety, security and compliance,” he assured.

The shipping company’s emblem is not a strange sight at African ports. It has been operating in the African market since 2007, and has experienced steady growth in volume and expansion in coverage through the years. The company currently has more than ten direct services calling to the African continent.

Jeethu Jose, managing director at WACT says this signals growing trust and confidence and a channel to untapped opportunities in the maritime sector.

“Hapag-Lloyd’s maiden presence in Eastern Nigeria, here at WACT will open new opportunities across the value chain, from our landside customers to regulators,” he said, adding that it will further strengthen Nigeria’s maritime and blue economy by “expanding global trade connectivity and enabling local businesses to flourish.”

Bethel Olujobi reports on trade and maritime business for BusinessDay with prior experience reporting on migration, labour, and tech. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication from the University of Jos, and is certified by the FT, Reuters and Google. Drawing from his experience working with other respected news providers, he presents a nuanced and informed perspective on the complexities of critical matters. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria and occasionally commutes to Abuja.

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