Nigeria Launches New Era in Maritime Trade as First Indigenous Container Vessel, M.V. Ocean Dragon, Docks in Lagos

Nigeria recorded a milestone in its maritime history on Tuesday, July 2, 2025, as the nation’s first-ever indigenous container vessel, M.V. Ocean Dragon, docked at the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, with over 350 containers onboard—marking a bold step in reshaping the logistics landscape of West Africa.

Vice President of Clarion Shipping, Mrs. Benedine Eloka, described the vessel’s arrival as the result of years of strategic planning and collaboration involving local and international financial institutions, regulatory bodies, and government agencies. “This is not just a vessel. This is the future of Nigerian shipping,” she said at the reception ceremony.

Built for both domestic coastal service and regional navigation, the M.V. Ocean Dragon has a capacity of 349 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units) and is expected to reduce Nigeria’s over-dependence on road haulage, which has for decades hampered the safe, timely, and cost-effective movement of cargo within and outside the country.

The ship will ply routes connecting Cotonou, Lome, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, with long-term plans to extend service to Egypt and South Africa, giving Nigeria a competitive edge in West Africa’s blue economy and creating a logistics hub in Lagos capable of serving multiple ports without transshipment bottlenecks.

Eloka also confirmed that a second container vessel is being prepared to operate direct shipping routes between China and Lagos, eliminating multiple stopovers that often cause delays and add significant costs for Nigerian importers. “The days of losing time and money through Dubai, Singapore or Cape Verde stops will soon be over,” she noted.

Securing funding for the vessel was no small feat, according to Eloka. “It took courage, risk, and relentless lobbying,” she said. “But we believed in this project because the demand was there. And now, with hundreds of bookings already made to Lome and Accra, we know this was the right step.”

The arrival of M.V. Ocean Dragon not only signals the rebirth of Nigerian maritime pride but also aligns with the federal government’s push for economic diversification and regional trade integration under the AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) framework.