The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has awarded a contract for the Escravos channel dredging program.
Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko , who disclosed this in Warri yesterday, said that the dredging of the channel would help to expand the waterways and enable bigger vessels to visit the port in Delta State.
The main goal of this project is to attract shippers to eastern ports and boost economic activity in the region.
According to Bello-Koko, the dredging program – which has already started – will enable the Delta State ports to have a better draft, receive bigger vessels and record less incidences of vessels running aground.
Bello-Koko said: “We all know that the breakwaters collapsed about 10 years ago, and there has been high siltation resulting in reduction of the draft from seven meters to three meters in some places.”
Also, NPA started the mapping and charting of the Escravos channel – an operation which has not been done for over a decade,