RUSSIA LAUNCHES MASSIVE DRONE AND MISSILE BARRAGE ON UKRAINE, KILLING AT LEAST 18 CIVILIANS AND STRIKING KYIV AND MULTIPLE CITIES. (PHOTO).

Image
 Russia launches massive drone and missile barrage on Ukraine, killing at least 18 civilians and striking Kyiv and multiple cities  Russia carried out a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine, launching hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles that killed at least 18 civilians and wounded more than 100 others across multiple cities, officials said Tuesday. The strikes hit Kyiv, Dnipro and other regions, with emergency crews working through destroyed residential buildings where some victims were trapped under rubble. In Dnipro, rescuers recovered the bodies of a 3-year-old child and a mother and her 8-year-old son, while officials reported 12 deaths in the city and six in Kyiv. The bombardment stretched from night into daylight, with explosions reported across wide areas of the country. Kyiv residents had been on alert for days after warnings of a major aerial attack, including advisories for foreign diplomats to leave the capital. Despite those warnings, most remained in pl...

NPA BIRTHS FIRST WHOLLY NIGERIAN-OWNED CONTAINER VESSEL. (PHOTO).


 NPA births first wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel


In a development that signposts readiness to maximise the gains derivable from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) on 2nd July, at 5:05 AM, berthed the first wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel.


The container vessel with International Maritime Organization (IMO) number 9508770, christened MV Ocean Dragon and owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, has a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot-Equivalent Units (TEUs).


A statement by NPA on Friday said the vessel boosts a concerted investment drive geared towards reaping the cost and time-saving benefits of short-sea shipping by plying in-country maritime trade routes across Nigeria, and the West African sub-region, and offers an efficient alternative to road transport. The vessel is scheduled to operate across West Africa and beyond, servicing ports in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt, South Africa and others, with expressions of interest for business already being established.


Responding to the milestone, Managing Director/ CEO of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho said, “This development is a testament to our relentless commitment towards deepening efficiencies required for maximising our Marine and Blue Economy potentials in line with the prompting of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Alh. Gboyega Oyetola, whose tenacity of purpose culminated in the recent FEC approval of the national policy on Marine and Blue Economy”.


On her part, Vice President of Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, Bernadine Eloka, described the acquisition as a bold solution to the high-risk, road-dominated movement of cargoes within Nigeria and a strategic move to deepen regional trade under the AfCFTA. She said that the Clarion Group aims to offer more efficient intra-African shipping services while opening up new business opportunities across ports in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and beyond.


“We acquired MV Ocean Dragon to offer a seamless alternative to container haulage by road. Rather than struggling to move containers from Lekki to Onitsha, Port Harcourt, or Calabar by trucks, Ocean Dragon can move up to 349 containers by sea and deliver within two days from port to port,” Eloka said. According to her, enforcement of the cabotage regime would encourage local investment, create jobs, and reduce Nigeria’s dependency on foreign-owned shipping lines.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SHAKIRA COVERS WOMEN'S HEALTH MAGAZINE,APRIL ISSUE.

THE NEW OONI OF ILE-IFE,WILL NOT EAT THE HEART OF THE LATE OONI-PALACE CHIEFS.

INNOSON GIVES OUT BRAND NEW IVM G5 AND SALARY FOR LIFE TO THE MAN WHO PROPHESIED ABOUT HIS VEHICLE MANUFACTURING IN 1979.(PHOTO).