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By Steve Agbota
Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited has launched Nigeria’s first indigenous direct shipping service between China and Nigeria by introducing industry-first incentives to ease importers’ financial burden through abolishing container deposits, extending free demurrage, and offering freight reduction.
Nigerian shippers and clearing agents will have access to incentives such as no container deposits, 21 days of free demurrage, and freight discounts of $500 and $300 on 40-foot and 20-foot containers respectively.
The Vice President of Clarion Shipping, Mrs. Benardine Eloka, disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement in Lagos, describing the initiative as a milestone for Nigeria’s maritime sector.
According to her, the removal of container deposits would ease financial pressure on importers by freeing up tied-down capital, while the extended demurrage period would reduce storage costs significantly.
She added that the service would connect Nigeria directly to major Chinese ports, including Qingdao, Yiwu, Nanshan, Shanghai, and Ningbo, eliminating transshipment delays at foreign hubs.
“By abolishing container deposits, extending free demurrage, and offering freight reductions, we are creating a truly Nigerian-driven shipping experience that reduces costs, enhances efficiency, and empowers local businesses,” she said.
She further reassured clearing agents that Clarion would continue to work with them rather than compete, stressing that collaboration with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) was already in place.
However, bookings, she said, are open with weekly sailings guaranteed.
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Meanwhile, industry stakeholders commended the development as unprecedented.
The President General of the Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners in Nigeria (ASIMPIN), Eze Damian Obianigwe, described the feat as historic, adding that no individual had previously owned such a vessel in the industry.
“What men could not do, you have done. Nobody has owned such a ship in this industry before, but today a woman has done it,” he said. Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, situated the achievement within Nigeria’s shipping history, recalling the collapse of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) and failed ship acquisition funds.
He said Clarion’s move corrected a historic imbalance.
“Foreign operators have dominated containerised shipping for decades. What Clarion is doing is returning capacity to Nigerians,” he explained.
Also speaking, Chief Chukwu Osita, National President of the Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Coalition, said the initiative would bring relief to freight forwarders and the economy, urging the government to recognise Clarion’s efforts with national honours. “Cry no more, that is what Clarion means now. With this vessel, Nigeria is saved, the economy is saved, and citizens are saved,” he said.
Mr. Jibril Usman, who represented the Africa Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), commended Clarion’s incentive package as unprecedented in Nigeria’s shipping industry.
Similarly, Mr. S. Salawu of the Oodua Maritime Group lauded the initiative but urged consistency, noting that some operators had reversed similar promises in the past.
General Secretary of NAGAFF, Mr. Godfrey Nwosu, described the berthing of Clarion’s vessel as a “game-changer,” stressing that it signals a new dawn for indigenous operators in Nigeria’s maritime space.
