The Clarion Group, a prominent Nigerian logistics and port services firm, has officially entered the regional liner shipping market with the launch of Clarion Shipping.

The new shipping line took delivery of its first vessel, the 349 teu Ocean Dragon, on July 3 from China’s Qingdao Pengteng International Management, according to Alphaliner. The ship is expected to operate on routes linking key Nigerian ports such as Lekki (pictured), Port Harcourt, Calabar, and Onitsha, with potential expansion to Togo, Benin, and Ghana. 

Clarion Shipping has already set its sights on expanding its fleet with Alphaliner reporting the planned acquisition of a second, larger 1,789 teu vessel, which would operate across a broader network, connecting Liberia, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. 

Founded in 2006, Clarion Group operates seven terminals in Nigeria — five in Lagos and two in Onne and Onitsha — and maintains an inland waterway fleet of eight barges and four tugboats.