Nigerian Ports Record 12.3% Rise in Cargo Throughput, Vessel Traffic Up 14.4% in Q2 2026
- The Nigerian Ports Authority released its Q2 2026 Operational Performance Report showing growth across nearly all key port indicators
- Outward cargo jumped 22% while container traffic climbed to 602,392 TEUs, with vehicle handling rising 18.3% year-on-year
- NPA Managing Director Dr Abubakar Dantsoho linked the gains to federal government maritime reforms and pledged a major infrastructure overhaul
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The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recorded broad operational gains in the second quarter of 2026, with cargo throughput rising 12.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2025, according to the authority's Q2 2026 Operational Performance Report.
Total cargo handled at Nigerian ports climbed from 31,825,592 metric tonnes in Q2 2025 to 35,740,362 metric tonnes in Q2 2026.
Source: UGC
Inward cargo accounted for 56.8 per cent of that volume, growing 7.7 per cent, while outward cargo, which made up 41.9 per cent of the total, surged by 22 per cent.
The report described the outward cargo performance as evidence of "improved export performance during the period under review." Transshipment cargo contributed 488,364 metric tonnes, or roughly 1.4 per cent of total throughput.
Vessel and container traffic
Ocean-going vessel calls rose from 1,050 completed in Q2 2025 to 1,201 in Q2 2026, a 14.4 per cent increase.
The Gross Registered Tonnage of those vessels grew by 22.2 per cent, from 40.87 million tonnes to 49.95 million tonnes. Service boat operations also expanded, with completed trips rising 22.3 per cent to 4,347, while their associated tonnage surged 62.4 per cent to 1.73 million tonnes.
Container traffic reached 602,392 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in Q2 2026, up 11.3 per cent from 541,229 TEUs in Q2 2025. Inward laden containers grew 6.3 per cent and accounted for about 51.5 per cent of total container movement.
Outward laden containers dipped marginally by 3.9 per cent, though empty container movements rose 13.9 per cent. Notably, transshipment container traffic stood at 29,038 TEUs, compared with no recorded movement in the corresponding quarter of 2025, which the report said reflects the growing role of transshipment within the Nigerian port system.
Vehicle handling also improved, with 44,147 units processed in Q2 2026 against 37,306 units in Q2 2025, an 18.3 per cent increase. The report attributed this rise largely to exchange rate stability boosting automobile imports.
NPA's plans for port modernisation
NPA Managing Director Dr Abubakar Dantsoho said the figures show that Nigeria's seaports are becoming more competitive and resilient in facilitating trade. He pointed to a wide-ranging infrastructure and digital reform agenda as the foundation for sustaining this growth.
"The increase in cargo volumes and ship calls underscores the continued resilience of the nation's seaports to facilitate trade and be more competitive," Dantsoho said.
He added that the modernisation of Apapa and Tin Can Island ports is central to the 2026 agenda, noting that Apapa is nearly 100 years old and Tin Can over 50.
The NPA is also backing the Lekki and Badagry deep-sea port projects and working to revitalise Eastern ports to ease congestion in Lagos. Full implementation of the Port Community System, which integrates with the National Single Window operational since Q1 2026, is also a priority.
Dantsoho said the expected outcomes include faster port operations, lower logistics costs, and stronger export competitiveness, with groundbreaking on modernisation projects set to begin soon.
NPA facilitates release of NDPHC power equipment
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) helped recover and clear power equipment belonging to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (NDPHC) that had been sitting idle at several Nigerian seaports, the NDPHC confirmed following a management visit to the NPA's Lagos office.
NDPHC Managing Director Engr. Jennifer Adighije led her team on a courtesy visit to NPA Managing Director Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho over the weekend to acknowledge the authority's role in resolving the matter.
Source: Legit.ng
