By Akanimo SampsonThe Escravos axis of Delta State, the big heart of the Niger Delta will soon become the hub of construction activities in the vastly polluted oil and gas region.This is so because the Buhari administration has granted approval to Mercury Marine Concession Company (MMCC) for the construction of Escravos Deep Seaport in the state.
MMCC – Mercury Maritime Concession Company
Retired Rear-Admiral Andrew Okoji, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MMCC, the company spearheading the development of the ESIC project said so.Okoji announced that the company has been directed to lodge in $1billion as evidence of capacity to fund the construction of the port. “To lodge in your money, there are certain protocols that must be met and we are currently carrying out these protocols”, the CEO explained.
An overview of the project
Speaking at a maritime stakeholder’s forum in Lagos, Research and Development Manager, Stephen Kema Okoja, an engineer, said the Escravos seaport is conceptualised as a modern deep seaport that will handle container Ro-Ro vessels, specialised cargo, and general cargo.
“The seaport is designed to primarily serve ESIC-1 and also support Nigeria’s regular international seaborne trade, thus increasing the contribution of Delta ports to Nigeria’s economic development as well as boosting contributions of Delta State seaports to Nigeria’s International seaborne trade by three percent”, he said.
The ESIC-1 at large grants Delta State direct multimodal transport accessibility to 70 percent of the Nigerian landmass, 4 geo-political zones, including Abuja and the littoral nations of the world.Okoji however notes, “you have been talking about Lekki Deep Seaport for the past 20 years, but I assure you today, upon completion the Escravos Seaport will be a game-changer.’’
