The Senator Wasiu Sanni Eshilokun led Senate Committee on Marine Transport continued its oversight function on 5th July, 2025, with a visit to Onne Port. According to the Chairman, when he met with the management of the port, the Committee came to evaluate the operational performance of the therminal operators, especially in the face of recent government expenditure on Ports development and work to address the challenges that may hinder smooth operation of these ports.
The Executive Director, Marine and Operation of NPA, reported an improvement in their operations as a result of more funding appropriated to NPA; and Commended the Committee for making this happen due to its commitment to improved ports upgrade to meet with international standards.
Among these improvements achieved are: improved pilotage and towage operations, expansion of fleet of shipping liner connectivity which allows the berthing of bigger vessels, and quarterly dredging and channel marking. These have increased the number of vessels patronising the port; and consequently, boosted government revenue.
He however enumerated some of their challenges thus: Absence of modern signal station, control tower and vessel tracking system, shallow vessel turning basin, inadequate tug boats, especially high capacity ones, absence of finger jetty, deplorable port access road (though now receiving attention since the intervention of the Committee), dilapidated berth infrastructure at Intels therminal and port perimeter fencing to deter locals from breaking into the port to steal. The committee chairman said many of these enumerated challenges will soon be taken care of, as NPA has received funds for them.
Thereafter, the Committee went on physical inspection of the facilities of the therminal operators and interacted with the managements of Brawal Oil services Limited, Intels therminal, Onne and West Africa Container Thermal Nig. limited (WACT).
In all of these organisations, their challenges comprise of most of the ones enumerated by Onne Port management, with only few peculiar ones. At Brawal, the urgent need is for government to get the Onne channel to a dept of close to 9 metres from its current 7.5metres, to allow maximum use of their 9.2 metres deep berth.
In the case of Intels, it desires quick connection to the national grid to save it from the excessive cost of diesel; while WACT wanted improvement in navigation time, connection of the port to railway, as well as, the other above mentioned demands of its colleague operators.
In the assessment of the Committee, these therminal operators have put in place commendable equipments and infrastructure to attract good patronage, while promising to make recommendations to government for intervention on the challenges.
Meanwhile, the Committee, which had its membership for day two swell to include Senators Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, Kelvin Chukwu and Patrick Ndubueze, was taken on a boat ride to inspect the entrance to the Onne and Port Harcourt channels and one of BCC’s dredgers. It was such an exhausting day that the Committee returned to the hotel late in the evening.
