Geneva-headquartered MSC Group has signed a 45-year concession agreement with Nigerdock to develop a container terminal within Snake Island Port in Lagos.

It also finalized an engineering, procurement, and construction contract with ITB Nigeria Ltd. and DEME Group to develop it.

The project forms part of the group’s investment in Nigeria’s infrastructure and logistics sector, totalling over $1bln.

The terminal is designed to have a 910-meter quay able to use ship to shore cranes and mobile harbor cranes serving both deep-sea vessels and barges.

The design also considers an initial dredging depth of -16.5 m chart datum, aligning with the existing depth of the navigation channel, and a 30-hectare yard with potential expansion areas designed for hybrid rubber tired gantries.

The terminal design is reportedly scalable, allowing a final depth of -18m chart datum to accommodate larger vessels.

​Diego Aponte, president of MSC Group, said: “Completing this key phase in the development of Snake Island Container Terminal with Nigerdock and our trusted partners demonstrates MSC Group’s commitment to providing excellent service to our customers in Nigeria and throughout Africa.

“The new terminal will open up opportunities, enhance efficiency, and elevate Snake Island Port as a major global shipping center. Together with our Group’s other long-term investments in Nigeria, it will generate many local jobs and significantly increase economic revenue and resilience.”

​Container shipping line MSC, privately owned and founded by Gianluigi Aponte, has 675 offices across 155 countries worldwide and operates 1,000 vessels.