By Steve Agbota
Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited has unveiled MV Clarion Ocean Dragon, the country’s first fully indigenous container vessel, marking a historic milestone in domestic shipping and regional trade integration.
Unveiled on Wednesday at the Five Star Logistics Terminal, Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, the 349-TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) vessel is expected to revolutionise container transportation along Nigeria’s coastline and across key West African trade routes. Owned and operated entirely by Nigerians, the vessel reflects Clarion Shipping’s commitment to deepening local participation in maritime logistics.
Speaking at the unveiling, Mrs. Bernadine Eloka, Vice President of Clarion Shipping, said the acquisition aims to solve long-standing logistics challenges by providing a safer and more efficient alternative to road transport.
“This vessel can move 349 containers within two days along Nigerian coastal waters. It’s a game-changer,” Eloka stated, noting that ‘Ocean Dragon’ was designed for seamless port-to-port cargo movement within Nigeria, with further service plans for countries like Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Sierra Leone, Egypt, and South Africa.
Built in China and acquired with the backing of Nigerian banks, Eloka acknowledged the financial hurdles it had overcome to bring the project to life. “Raising capital for a vessel in Nigeria is no joke,” she remarked. “We didn’t get single-digit interest rates, but the banks believed in the vision and supported us.”
More than 70 per cent of the crew aboard ‘Ocean Dragon’ are Nigerians, which she described as a deliberate strategy to build local capacity and comply with the Cabotage Act. She emphasised that the vessel is Nigerian-flagged and has met all requirements from maritime regulators, including NIMASA, NPA, NIWA, and Customs.
“We urge the Federal Government to enforce the Cabotage law fully. Let coastal container movement from ports like Lekki to Calabar, Tin Can, and Apapa be reserved for Nigerian vessels. Foreign liners should not dominate domestic waters,” Eloka appealed.
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Mustafa Muhammed, Managing Director of Suncity Terminal Logistics—a sister company to Clarion—revealed the firm’s larger export strategy, which includes deploying a robust inland logistics system and export terminal infrastructure to serve the Nigerian hinterland.
“Over 1,300 export containers have been mobilised through our infrastructure. We’ve placed 800 Clarion-branded containers across cities like Kano, Kaduna, Zaria, Yola, and Bauchi. These containers are filled with agricultural and industrial goods and returned to Lagos for shipment, using over 150 trucks or via our rail partnership with the Nigerian Railway Corporation,” he said.
He added that Clarion’s inland export terminal allows direct container sealing from upcountry depots, reducing bottlenecks and avoiding the need to truck goods to Lagos.
According to him, exporters who previously paid up to ₦4 million to move goods to ports now enjoy a more cost-effective and reliable system.
Muhammed also announced Clarion’s plan to introduce a larger feeder mother ship with a capacity of 1,700 TEUs to bolster its West African operations. The vessel will connect major ports from Lome and Accra to Abidjan and Lagos.
For the newly appointed Managing Director of Clarion Shipping, Ms. Ada Eloka, the arrival of MV Clarion Ocean Dragon was both a professional and personal triumph.
Sharing her experience, Eloka, who took over leadership in January 2025, described overseeing the vessel’s acquisition and delivery from China as a defining moment in her career.
“The vessel left China on April 17 and arrived in Lagos on July 1. It took about 60 days at sea. We faced challenges, language barriers, technical setbacks, even an unexpected detour to Malaysia due to engine issues, but we stayed the course. Seeing it arrive this morning was overwhelming,” she said.
Eloka described the journey as a testament to resilience, innovation, and the possibilities for Nigerian ownership in an industry long dominated by foreign interests.
On his part, President of Clarion Group, Eloka Innocent, expressed deep gratitude to God and commended the collaborative efforts that made the dream a reality.
Reflecting on the journey, Eloka recalled how in 2021, the company’s Vice President declared her ambition to own a vessel and a seaport, a vision that has now become a reality through MV Clarion Ocean Dragon.
Describing MV Clarion Ocean Dragon as more than just a ship, Eloka called it a symbol of national pride, business foresight and God’s benevolence.
He said the vessel reinforces Clarion’s strategic efforts to reduce vessel waiting times, improve space management, and ensure quicker turnaround at Nigerian ports.