By Godfrey Bivbere
Towards the rejuvenation of Calabar Port for better cargo efficiency, a two-day enlightenment forum on the dredging of Calabar Port is to be held at the Diamond Hall, Metropolitan Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State on the 19th  and 20th of  August, 2010.

The forum which is being put together by the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), has the theme “Economic Imperatives of Dredging of the Calabar Port and is expected to be chaired by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, President of African Business Roundtable.

The  governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, will declare the forum open as the Chief Host while the Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, the Guest of Honour, will also present a keynote address.

The forum will be attended by government officials, shipping companies, members of the National Assembly (NASS), freight forwarders, concessionaires, port administrators, marine engineers, and maritime lawyers, amongst several others.

Calabar Port is one of the six major seaports in the country, which has unfortunately recorded the lowest patronage of deep ocean-going vessels owing to its shallow draft.  The avoidable situation has thus adversely affected the growth of shipping activities in the port and by implication, the overall economy of the area.

According to information, investors in the port such as port concessionaires, shipping companies and even service providers as well as the management of world acclaimed TINAPA Project and the Calabar EPZ, to mention a few, are now struggling to keep their huge business investments afloat because of the situation.

The desire of MARAN to drum-up public support for the dredging of the port has attracted the attention of the Federal Ministry of Transport, which thus found it necessary to partner the Association in this patriotic venture.