Defending champions, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Football Club, will take on Dominion Divine Clearing and Forwarding Agency (DDCFA) in the opening match of the 6th Ships & Ports Maritime Cup Competition today.
Customs was seeded in Group C and will play alongised Nigerian Shippers’ Council and DDCFA.
2009 champions, Micura Stevedoring Service was seeded in Group A and is expected to slug it out with Sifax Group and African Circle for the two quarter final tickets from that group.
Group B has Nigerian Navy, new entrants Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL) and 2013 third place winners, ENL Consortium Nigeria Limited while the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); APM Terminals Apapa Limited and Mickey Excellency Clearing Agency, will slug it out in Group D.
The Opening Ceremony of this year’s competition has been scheduled to take place this morning at the Nigeria Institute of Sports (NIS) Pitch, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
All the matches of the completion, which will hold from 31st March to 11th April, 2014, will be officiated by accredited licensed referees under the Lagos State Referees Association.
Coordinator of the competition, Ms Eucharia Okoli, said adequate arrangements and security measures have been put in place to ensure hitch-free competition.
The Annual Maritime Cup competition, otherwise known as the Ships & Ports Soccer Challenge, was instituted in 2009 to encourage healthy recreation and rekindle the spirit of friendship and camaraderie among operators and regulators in the maritime industry.
The first edition of the competition was won in 2009 by the Nigerian Navy while the second edition held in March 2010 was won by Micura Stevedoring Services Limited and the third, fourth & fifth edition by Nigeria Customs Service.
The sixth in the series of the competition, holding this year, attracted notable firms and government agencies operating in the shipping sector. The competition will feature 12 teams playing in four groups.