November 23 - APM Terminals and a number of consortium partners, has revealed plans to develop a new greenfield mega-port project and Free Trade Zone at Badagry in Nigeria's Lagos State, some 55 km west of Apapa and the Port of Lagos on the Benin-Lagos Ex

At full build-out, the deep-water full-service port will be one of the largest in Africa with 7 km of quay and 1,000 ha (2,470 acres) of dedicated yard, and will include new facilities for container, bulk, liquid bulk, ro-ro and general cargo as well as oil and gas operations support and a barge terminal.

Plans for the adjoining Badagry Free Trade Zone will include a power plant, oil refinery, industrial park and warehousing and Inland Container Deport functions. The first phase of the project is scheduled to open in 2016.

"We are actively working with state and federal governments on the permission process" stated APM Terminals Africa-Middle East Regional ceo Peder Sondergaard, adding that "the Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State and the Nigerian federal Government have been supportive and positive".

Earlier this year, Nigerian Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, cited the proposed Badagry Port project as an example of a public-private partnership development which would help to address congestion and establish Nigeria as a maritime trading hub for West and Central Africa during his keynote address at the 12th Maritime Seminar for Judges in Abuja in June. The Benin-Lagos Expressway is currently being upgraded to a 10-lane highway which will facilitate cargo movements to and from inland destinations in the region.

APM Terminals says that the proposed Badagry Mega-Port project fits well into its strategy of infrastructure development in targeted high-growth markets. Current new terminal and port expansion projects and investments include Moin, Costa Rica; Callao, Peru; Santos, Brazil; Ningbo, China and Poti, Georgia. The Badagry consortium partnership is comprised of APM Terminals, Orlean Invest, the Macquarie Group, Oando PLC, the Chagoury Group and Terminal Investment Limited. Support for the project has also been expressed by the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Governor of Lagos State.

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