By Godwin Oritse
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recorded a 1,085 per cent surge in export-laden containers as total cargo throughput climbed to 33.52 million metric tonnes in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025
Operational data released by the Authority showed that overall cargo handled during the period rose by 16.2 per cent from 28.84 million metric tonnes recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024, underscoring increased trade activity across Nigerian ports.
Container operations were a major driver of the improved performance. Total container traffic grew by 18.9 per cent to 546,931 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in Q3 2025, compared with 460,038 TEUs in the same period of 2024.
Import-laden containers increased by 33.1 per cent to 268,713 TEUs from 201,839 TEUs a year earlier, while export-laden containers surged sharply to 69,039 TEUs, from just 5,812 TEUs recorded in Q3 2024.
The significant rise in export containers resulted in a 21.5 per cent reduction in empty container movements, reflecting a better balance between imports and exports and pointing to growing momentum in non-oil export activities.
Ship traffic also recorded notable growth during the quarter. Vessel calls increased by 8.4 per cent to 1,074 ships from 991 vessels in Q3 2024, while total Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) rose by 18 per cent to 42.64 million from 36.13 million, indicating an increase in the size of vessels calling at Nigerian ports.
An analysis of vessel calls by port location showed that Tin Can Island Port accounted for the highest share at 22.7 per cent, followed closely by Apapa Port at 22.2 per cent. Onne and Lekki ports recorded 18.9 per cent and 18.4 per cent respectively, while Calabar Port accounted for 2.1 per cent.
However, in terms of vessel size, Lekki Port received the largest ships, with an average GRT of 57,244, followed by Onne Port at 51,276 GRT. Apapa and Tin Can Island ports handled vessels with average GRTs of 35,556 and 34,400 respectively, while Delta Ports recorded an average of 18,677 tonnes.
A breakdown of cargo throughput by port revealed that Lekki Port was the dominant growth driver, accounting for 46.8 per cent of total cargo handled in Q3 2025. Onne Port followed with 17 per cent, while Apapa and Tin Can Island ports contributed 15.1 per cent and 10 per cent respectively.
Calabar Port recorded the lowest share.
Further analysis by cargo type showed that liquid bulk cargo accounted for the largest share at 53.8 per cent, followed by containerised cargo at 26.6 per cent. Dry bulk and other general cargo accounted for 11.3 per cent and 8.2 per cent respectively.
Commenting on the performance, the Managing Director of NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, attributed the strong results to the Federal Government’s export-driven economic reforms and growing investor confidence. He noted that the figures reflect improved operational efficiency across all pilotage districts.
Dantsoho added that ongoing port modernisation efforts, the deployment of export processing terminals and the expansion of digital platforms such as the electronic truck call-up system have helped reduce congestion, improve turnaround time and position Nigerian ports for a stronger role in regional trade.
Industry analysts say the Q3 performance highlights the rising contribution of the maritime sector to Nigeria’s non-oil export drive, in line with the country’s broader economic diversification agenda
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