In the first half of 2026 the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) handled 2,300 ships, a 6.9 per cent rise on the 2,152 vessels recorded in the same period of 2025, and recorded a 12.2 per cent increase in cargo throughput to 68.2 million metric tonnes.
Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of vessels handled climbed 20.9 per cent to 96.6 million from 79.9 million in H1 2025. Total cargo throughput rose from 60.8 million tonnes to 68.2 million tonnes, with inward cargo up to 38.4 million tonnes and outward cargo to 29.2 million tonnes.
Lekki Port accounted for almost 40 per cent of national cargo throughput, with the Dangote Refinery contributing more than 76 per cent of the port’s traffic. Onne Port supplied 22.7 per cent, largely from liquefied natural gas exports, while Calabar and Rivers ports together handled just over 4 per cent.
Container traffic increased 10.3 per cent to 815,236 twenty‑foot equivalent units (TEUs), of which 546,755 (67 per cent) were imports and 203,980 (25 per cent) were exports. Transshipment traffic surged 169.5 per cent to 35,574 TEUs, still only 4 per cent of total container throughput. Vehicle handling grew 42.5 per cent to 103,375 units, driven by transshipment operations at the Ports and Terminals Multiservices Limited facility at Tin Can Island Port.
Despite the growth, vessel turnaround time rose six per cent to 5.3 days and berth occupancy increased 3.1 per cent to 36.1 per cent. The NPA’s Managing Director, Abubakar Dantsoho, described the Dangote Refinery as a “game changer” for port operations and warned that the sector’s reliance on captive cargo and limited transshipment and transit cargo highlighted the need for broader regional integration. He cited inadequate funding—stemming from a 50 per cent automatic deduction from government‑owned enterprises—as a major constraint and called for an 80:20 revenue‑sharing arrangement with the Federal Government.
“The Dangote Refinery is a game changer for port operations,” said Dantsoho, adding that the planned expansion to 1.4 million barrels per day<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
