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A consortium, comprising Bollore Africa Logistics and PowerChina International Group, has been chosen as the preferred bidder for the Ibom Deep Seaport Project (IDSP) in Akwa Ibom State, while China Harbour Engineering, emerged the reserve bidder for the project.
IDSP is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) port infrastructure project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Nigerian Port Authority, and the Akwa Ibom State Government, with the international advising from PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Singapore-based port engineering consultancy company, Global Maritime and Port Services Pte Limited.
Located in the South East of Akwa Ibom State, the project includes 2,565 hectares of Greenfield port area, integrated within the Ibom Industrial City, and a free trade zone with fiscal incentives.
The new port is designed to provide channel depth of 18.24m, turning basin and berth depth of 16.72m, and quay length of about 7.5 km upon completion. It will have a capacity of 9 million TEU and will cater for large container vessels of 13,000 TEU. Operations are expected to commence in 2021.
The project started in May 2015, when the IDSP PPP procurement was approved by the Federal Executive Council, will form part of an integrated industrial city to help foster economic development of Nigeria, particularly the southern and south-eastern regions of the country.
In January 2018, a request for quotation was issued, to which 8 applications were received. Three applicants were shortlisted as bidders to proceed to the Request for Proposal stage, which started in April, and ended in September, with official opening of the competing bids.
The Director-general of Nigeria’s Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Chidi Izuwah, said: “The seaport will form part of an integrated industrial city to help foster economic development of the country as transportation is key to national development.
“The seaport is near the South-South and South-East regions, and will drive the economic transformation and empowerment of Nigerians with a multiplier effect that will create massive employment for the country’s teeming population. its circle of economic influence is expected to extend gradually to the North Central, North Eastern and North Western zones.”
