Calabar Channel Dredging Kicks Off

The long awaited Calabar Channel dredging project that will boost economic activities in Cross River and neighboring states was inaugurated on Friday by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

The inauguration of the project, a joint venture between the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and Niger Global Engineering, ends years of controversy and apprehension concerning the feasibility of opening the channel for easy navigation of super cargoes into the Calabar Port.

Also at the event were Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, Governor Liyel Imoke, Senator Ita Giwa and Deputy Governor Efiok Cobham.

Governor Imoke commented that Calabar channel dredging is much more than dredging the channel because of the broader social and economic opportunities it brings. “The impact of the successful completion of this project is at yet unimaginable although there’s a general idea of the impending social and economic boom.”

According to Mr. Pieter Hekken, the Acting Managing Director of the Calabar Channel Management Operation, dredging of the Calabar Channel couldn’t come at a better moment, as the global interest in Nigerian maritime sector grows more and more.

The Calabar Channel dredging project will enable Nigerian Ports Authority to develop its channels and promptly respond to global marine transport demands.

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Dredging Today Staff