The Annual Maritime Cup Football Competition was created by Nigeria’s leading maritime communication company, Ships & Ports in 2009 to foster unity, friendship and encourage competitive sporting activities in the burgeoning maritime industry.

The competition was conceived as a forum where all stakeholders in the maritime sector could converge and socialise in an informal setting via the instrumentality of sports. As football matches are played between teams of maritime organisations, friendship and networking opportunities open up, which in turn contribute to propelling the industry to greater heights. 

Over the years, the competition has served that purpose in an ever-growing capacity. Now maritime organisations see the benefits of featuring their teams in the competition, not just for the prestige of winning laurels but also for the sense of gentle rivalry and the fun it creates between employees in the sector.

The Maritime Cup is fast outgrowing its bounds as a niche competition and is gaining a lot of attention in the mainstream society. It cannot be denied that the Maritime Cup fosters a certain feeling of camaraderie in the industry – you need to attend one of the matches to clearly understand this. 

The Ships & Ports Maritime Cup Competition series stands out and has stood the test of time, with the 12th edition holding this year. This is as a result of Ships & Ports’ unmatched experience in giving the community what it wants – an opportunity to network informally at a certain time of the year. The organisers diligently carry out this corporate social responsibility year after year, surprising teams with cash gifts and more – inspiring more and more sponsors to step forward and join in pushing forward this novel and noble sports festival.

The Maritime Cup Competition has been reputed to foster goodwill and conviviality within the maritime sector in concrete ways. This is why maritime stakeholders love the Maritime Cup Competition and are so passionate about it.

The Maritime Cup Coordinating Team at Ships & Ports Communication Company is proud of its tangible and intangible achievements and remains confident that together with sponsors and other partners, it will keep delivering greater experience each year to the maritime sector and to the general public.  

As preparations begin for the 2022 edition of the Maritime Cup Competition, which has been scheduled to hold from October 18 to 28, 2022, the CEO of Ships & Ports Communication, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, reiterated the commitment of the company to organise a most befitting competition.
“There was a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so we were unable to host the competition in 2020 and 2021. The various teams are roaring to go and we are all set to organise the 12th edition of one of the best sporting competitions in Nigeria,” Akinola said. 

The Annual Maritime Cup Football Competition is officiated by approved FIFA-badge referees, and it is quite popular in the maritime industry, attracting the crème-de-la-crème of the industry. 

Matches of the competition this year will be played at the National Stadium and NPA Sports Ground, both in Surulere, Lagos. 

As the defending champions of the Maritime Cup Football Competition and other teams get set to do battle with one other in October, we deemed it necessary to refresh the memories of our readers with pictorial highlights of past tournaments.