MARITIME TRADE & SHIPPING
Africa Rises as the New Powerhouse of Global Container Shipping
Africa Rises as the New Powerhouse of Global Container Shipping
Continent now hosts the world’s four fastest-growing container routes, with fleet capacity to Sub-Saharan Africa surging past 2.6 million TEU
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent, Lagos
Africa is steadily cementing its place at the heart of global maritime commerce. The continent now accounts for the world’s four fastest-growing container shipping routes, according to the latest figures released by Container Trade Statistics (CTS) based on cargo loaded in January. The data paints a compelling picture of a continent whose influence on the international liner shipping map is growing at a pace no other region can currently match.
Further analysis by maritime consultancy Sea-Intelligence reinforces the trend, showing that Africa recorded the strongest year-on-year growth in both imports and exports among all global regions tracked by CTS. Industry observers say the figures mark a watershed moment for African trade.
“Africa’s rising container volumes and expanding shipping routes signal a major shift in global maritime trade patterns.”
The scale of the expansion is underscored by data compiled by shipping intelligence firm Alphaliner. As of November last year, the Asia–Africa trade lane — excluding services linking the Middle East, India and Africa — accounted for nearly 2.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of container fleet capacity, up sharply from 1.4 million TEU recorded a year earlier. That represents a remarkable 54.3 per cent increase within a single year.
By mid-December, services connected to Sub-Saharan Africa alone accounted for approximately 8.1 per cent of the global container fleet, equivalent to around 2.68 million TEU of capacity — a figure that would have seemed improbable just a few years ago.
Analysts attribute much of Africa’s rising prominence to a combination of fleet redeployments and steadily growing trade volumes between Asia and the continent. Central to this shift has been Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), presently the world’s largest container shipping line. Last year, MSC made the strategic decision to redeploy several of its largest vessels from the Asia–Europe corridor to the fast-expanding Asia–West Africa trade lane.
The consequences of that decision have been significant. The average vessel capacity operating on the West Africa corridor jumped from approximately 6,343 TEU to more than 9,000 TEU — a rise of roughly 28 per cent. The deployment of ultra-large container ships on the route has, in turn, propelled West Africa into Alphaliner’s global rankings of trade lanes capable of accommodating mega-vessels, a distinction previously reserved for the world’s busiest East-West corridors.
The commercial momentum is being matched by growing investment in port infrastructure across the continent. Several large container terminals are currently under construction or in active expansion, aimed at boosting cargo handling capacity and ensuring that African ports can absorb the increasing volumes being directed their way.
The developments come amid a contrasting picture on the Asia–Europe trade, where a significant imbalance is widening. According to Sea-Intelligence, the ratio between Asia-bound cargo and European exports has now exceeded 4:1 for the first time, driven largely by what the consultancy described as markedly weak export demand from Europe. The growing mismatch poses a cost challenge for shipping lines, who must reposition empty containers back to Asia to keep supply chains functioning — a process that adds to per-unit operating costs on one of the world’s most heavily traded routes.
Despite such pressures elsewhere, the trajectory for Africa remains firmly upward. With cargo volumes rising, shipping lines investing in larger vessels, and port infrastructure expanding to meet demand, the continent is increasingly being viewed not merely as a growth market, but as a critical and permanent fixture in the architecture of global liner shipping.
Blue Economy
43 Vessels Bound for Lagos Ports in Major Cargo Push as NPA Tracks Fuel, Food, and Fertiliser Shipments
43 Vessels Bound for Lagos Ports in Major Cargo Push as NPA Tracks Fuel, Food, and Fertiliser Shipments
Apapa, Lekki Deep Sea Port, and Tincan Island Port brace for a high-volume fortnight as over 75 vessels are expected, anchored, or already discharging across Nigeria’s three key Lagos terminals
By WaterwaysNews.ng | May 27, 2026
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has confirmed that 43 vessels are scheduled to arrive at Lagos’s three main port terminals — Apapa Port, Lekki Deep Sea Port, and Tincan Island Port — between May 26 and June 6, 2026, carrying an extensive range of cargo critical to Nigeria’s food supply chain, energy sector, and agricultural industry.
The disclosure, made through the NPA’s routine vessel movement schedule, offers a detailed picture of the cargo flow into West Africa’s largest port complex at a time when import-dependent sectors of the Nigerian economy remain under sustained pressure from foreign exchange constraints and global commodity volatility.
What’s Coming In
The incoming vessels are expected to deliver a broad sweep of strategic goods that cut across nearly every major sector of the Nigerian economy. On the energy side, the scheduled arrivals include shipments of petrol, diesel, gasoline, condensate, crude oil, and aviation fuel — cargoes that feed the country’s chronically undersupplied downstream petroleum sector and keep its airports and industrial operations running.
Food security stakeholders will be watching closely as bulk wheat, millet, bulk sugar, fresh fish, and other food items are among the listed cargoes. Nigeria remains one of the world’s largest wheat importers, and any disruption to vessel scheduling can have a ripple effect on flour mills, bakeries, and household food prices across the country.
Agricultural inputs are also prominently featured, with bulk urea and bulk fertiliser expected among the incoming shipments — a critical lifeline for Nigeria’s farming sector heading into the mid-year planting season. Containers of general cargo round out the manifest, covering a wide range of manufactured goods, raw materials, and consumer products.
A Busy Anchorage
The port complex is already dealing with significant vessel traffic. As of the date of the NPA’s confirmation, 11 ships and tanker vessels had arrived at the three terminals and were riding at anchor waiting to berth — a common feature of Lagos ports, where berth congestion and cargo evacuation bottlenecks frequently force vessels into extended waiting periods that add to shipowners’ costs and delay cargo delivery.
Meanwhile, 21 ships were actively discharging cargo at the time of the NPA’s announcement. The active discharge manifests include bulk urea, petrol, wheat, aviation fuel, and diesel — underlining the scale and strategic nature of the operations currently underway at the terminals.
In total, when combining expected arrivals, vessels at anchor, and ships currently discharging, the port complex is managing the movements of more than 75 vessels over the reporting period — a figure that reflects the enormous logistical weight Lagos continues to carry as Nigeria’s primary maritime gateway.
Port Activity in Context
Apapa Port, Nigeria’s oldest and busiest terminal, continues to handle the lion’s share of the country’s bulk liquid and dry cargo despite its well-documented infrastructure challenges. Tincan Island Port, located on the western flank of the Lagos port complex, handles a significant volume of containerised and general cargo. Lekki Deep Sea Port — Nigeria’s most modern terminal, commissioned in 2023 with a capacity of over six million TEUs — is increasingly playing a complementary role in absorbing cargo volumes that previously queued at the older terminals.
The NPA’s vessel movement tracking system is central to managing traffic across all three terminals, providing advance notice to port operators, terminal managers, shipping agents, and cargo owners who rely on the data to plan their logistics chains.
Cargo evacuation from these terminals remains a persistent challenge, with trucks bearing the overwhelming burden of moving goods from the ports to distribution hubs across the country. Maritime and logistics stakeholders have long called for improved rail connectivity and greater utilisation of inland waterways to decongest the roads leading out of the port gates — a call that has grown louder as cargo volumes continue to climb.
What to Watch
With fuel cargoes forming a significant share of the incoming shipments, any delays in berthing or discharge could have near-term consequences for petrol and diesel supply in Lagos and beyond. Similarly, the wheat and fertiliser shipments carry implications that extend well beyond the port — delays at the terminal level translate directly into pressure on mill operations and farm-gate prices.
WaterwaysNews.ng will continue to track vessel movements at Lagos’s ports and provide updates on berth utilisation, cargo discharge progress, and any developments affecting the flow of critical imports through Nigeria’s maritime gateway.
For real-time vessel movement data and port updates, follow WaterwaysNews.ng — Nigeria’s most authoritative maritime news platform.
Editor's Choice
Saudi Arabia Launches New Shipping Corridors as Hormuz Remains Closed to Commercial Traffic
Saudi Arabia Launches New Shipping Corridors as Hormuz Remains Closed to Commercial Traffic
Riyadh activates Red Sea alternatives and pipeline bypasses as the world’s worst maritime supply crisis since WWII enters its third month — with Nigeria’s tanker revenues, crude export premiums, and port traffic in the balance
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent
Since 28 February 2026, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to most commercial shipping — triggering what maritime analysts and global energy bodies are describing as the most severe disruption to seaborne trade since the Second World War. Through that narrow artery linking oil and gas producers in the Gulf to the open seas, some 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows during peacetime. Today, that flow has been reduced to a trickle, and the tremors are being felt from Rotterdam to Lagos.
Iran imposed a selective blockade on 28 February 2026, and the United States subsequently imposed a parallel naval blockade of Iranian ports on 13 April, creating a structural “dual blockade.”
About 2,000 ships remain stranded in the Gulf, waiting to be allowed through. Even as the United States launched “Project Freedom” — a major naval escort operation in early May — the Strait remains far from safe for routine commercial navigation. As of this week, commercial vessel movement through the Strait remains heavily restricted and inconsistent, with a significant number of vessels still waiting outside the Gulf or operating under controlled routing arrangements.
The scale of the economic shock is staggering. With Hormuz tanker traffic still restricted, cumulative supply losses from Gulf producers already exceed one billion barrels, with more than 14 million barrels per day of oil now shut in — an unprecedented supply shock. Oil prices surged sharply after the outbreak of conflict, with Brent recording its highest monthly rise ever by the end of March.
RIYADH’S RESPONSE: TWO NEW SERVICES, ONE CLEAR MESSAGE
Against this volatile backdrop, Saudi Arabia’s port authority, Mawani, has moved decisively to protect its own trade lifelines and demonstrate to the world that Gulf commerce will not be held hostage indefinitely to the fate of a single chokepoint.
Mawani has inaugurated a new shipping service connecting the ports of Jeddah, Salalah, and Djibouti, with a capacity of 1,730 standard containers, to boost connectivity with global ports. Additionally, the Saudi Port Authority has launched a Red Sea Express linking Jeddah, Yanbu, Egypt’s Sukhna, and the Jordanian port of Aqaba, with a capacity of 1,100 containers.
In total, Saudi Arabia’s port authority has now added five new maritime shipping services following Iran’s near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, in a move designed to strengthen connectivity via the Red Sea and provide supply chain continuity and flow of goods.
Beyond container services, Riyadh has also leaned heavily on pipeline infrastructure. When the conflict peaked in March, Saudi Arabia reportedly used the East–West Pipeline to bypass the Iranian blockade on Hormuz, moving up to five million barrels per day. Another pipeline was also activated, as Riyadh and Abu Dhabi diverted massive volumes of oil from the Hormuz route through Red Sea ports at Yanbu and Al-Muajjiz.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have successfully redirected some exports to terminals loading outside of the Strait, even as mounting supply losses from Hormuz continue to deplete global oil inventories at a record pace.
The new services and pipeline diversions are also part of a broader Saudi diplomatic posture. Riyadh has been pressing the United States to end its blockade of Hormuz and Iranian ports, fearing further strikes by Iran and the potential closure of the Bab-al-Mandab Strait by Iran or its allies like Yemen’s Ansarallah — a development that would effectively shut down the Red Sea corridor that Saudi Arabia is now betting heavily upon.
NIGERIA WATCH: OPPORTUNITY AND EXPOSURE IN EQUAL MEASURE
For Nigeria’s maritime and energy sector, the Hormuz crisis is playing out in contradictory directions simultaneously — creating short-term windfalls while exposing structural vulnerabilities that industry stakeholders and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy cannot afford to ignore.
The Revenue Upside
Nigeria sits outside the Hormuz corridor entirely, loading its crude from Atlantic Basin terminals at Bonny, Forcados, Brass, and Escravos. In a market suddenly starved of Gulf supply, this geography has become a premium asset. Producers outside of the Middle East have pushed output higher and lifted exports to record levels in response to the crisis, (IEA) and Nigeria’s OPEC output, still recovering from years of production shortfalls, is now commanding elevated differentials as European and Asian refiners scramble for Atlantic crude alternatives.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery — which was already reconfiguring Nigeria’s crude trading relationships before the Hormuz crisis — is now operating in an environment where domestic crude retention and refined product exports carry significantly higher value. With Gulf refinery throughputs severely curtailed, Nigerian refined products have found expanded export windows, and the refinery’s forward commercial strategy deserves close scrutiny in light of these geopolitical shifts.
Tanker earnings on West African routes have also surged. Nigerian crude is predominantly carried on Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and Suezmax vessels. With Gulf loadings choked off and global ton-mile distances extended by Cape of Good Hope rerouting, freight rates have spiked — a boon for shipowners calling at Nigerian terminals, and a factor that NPA and terminal operators at Apapa and the Lekki Deep Sea Port should be monitoring closely in terms of berth demand and port revenue projections.
The Exposure
The same crisis that boosts Nigeria’s crude premium also raises the cost of everything the country imports by sea. Nigeria remains heavily dependent on imported fuel, machinery, fertiliser, and manufactured goods — commodities that now travel longer, more expensive routes under inflated war-risk insurance premiums.
Port users, freight forwarders, and clearing agents operating at Apapa, Tin Can Island, and Lekki are already absorbing these elevated costs in their logistics chains.
Container freight rates on Asia-to-Europe lanes are rising again, and the Strait of Hormuz closure, combined with resumed Houthi attacks, has eliminated any near-term prospect of a return to Suez Canal routing.
Nigerian importers sourcing goods from Asia — electronics, textiles, vehicles, and machinery — are facing extended transit times and higher freight invoices. The Nigeria Customs Service, which has been posting record port revenue figures in recent months, may find collection growth under pressure if import volumes contract in response to elevated landed costs.
Port congestion is also building at accessible alternative hubs such as Jeddah and Salalah — the very ports now being connected by Mawani’s new services.
For Nigerian importers and exporters routing through the Middle East, these congestion-driven delays add another layer of uncertainty to already stretched supply chains.
The Cabotage and NIMASA Dimension
The crisis also carries implications for Nigeria’s domestic maritime policy architecture. NIMASA’s Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF), long a subject of debate over disbursement timelines, was designed partly to build a Nigerian-flagged fleet capable of participating in regional and international trade. In a moment when freight rates are elevated and demand for alternative routing through the Atlantic is at a historic high, the absence of a substantial Nigerian-flagged deep-sea presence means that the windfall accruing from higher tanker rates flows overwhelmingly to foreign shipowners rather than Nigerian maritime operators.
This is precisely the structural gap that cabotage policy was meant to address over the long term. Industry voices — including those within the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) — have argued for years that delays in CVFF deployment deprive Nigerian seafarers and vessel operators of the capacity to participate meaningfully in exactly these kinds of market moments.
THE BROADER PICTURE: HOW LONG DOES THIS LAST?
Even if the Strait is reopened to all traffic, there will still be obstacles to shipping. The United States has said it will take six months to clear mines it believes have been laid by Iran. Underwriters are unlikely to restore normal insurance ratings for Hormuz transits until that demining is well advanced and a sustained ceasefire holds. Assuming flows through the Strait gradually resume from June, global oil supply is projected to decline by 3.9 million barrels per day on average for the full year 2026.
That projection carries significant uncertainty. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — who assumed authority following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the February strikes — has shown no sign of yielding control of Hormuz as a strategic lever. Diplomatic talks in Islamabad in April yielded no breakthrough. The current impasse, in other words, may define the global shipping environment for the remainder of 2026 and beyond.
For Nigeria’s maritime community — port operators, terminal concessionaires, freight forwarders, tanker operators, inland waterway transporters, and policymakers alike — the Hormuz crisis is not a distant geopolitical story. It is actively reshaping the commercial environment in which every Nigerian maritime stakeholder operates, daily.
Waterways News continues to monitor developments in the Strait of Hormuz and their implications for Nigerian ports, shipping, and the blue economy. Feedback and industry perspectives are welcome.
Blue Economy
FG Clears Five Deep Seaports for Investment in Bold Push to Recapture Nigeria’s Stolen Cargo
FG Clears Five Deep Seaports for Investment in Bold Push to Recapture Nigeria’s Stolen Cargo
NPA Boss Confirms Approvals, Certifications and Compliance Processes Completed for Badagry, Olokola, Ibom, Bakassi and Bonny Projects as Nigeria Bleeds Over $3.5bn Annually to Neighbouring Ports
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
The Federal Government of Nigeria has completed the approvals, certifications and regulatory compliance processes for five proposed deep seaport projects spread across the country’s coastline, in a determined effort to reclaim more than 70 per cent of Nigerian-bound cargo currently being handled by ports in neighbouring West African nations.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, confirmed the development at the close of a three-day meeting of Managing Directors of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), Member Ports and the Port Statisticians Network held in Lagos. Dantsoho, who also serves as President of PMAWCA, disclosed that the five cleared projects are the Badagry Deep Sea Port in Lagos State, Olokola Deep Sea Port in Ondo State, Ibom Deep Sea Port in Akwa Ibom State, Bakassi Deep Sea Port in Cross River State, and Bonny Deep Sea Port in Rivers State.
Dantsoho noted that while investor negotiations remain ongoing given the enormous financial commitments such projects demand, the government has already laid the regulatory and administrative groundwork necessary for implementation. “In terms of approvals, certifications and compliance issues, we have taken care of five different deep-sea ports in Nigeria,” he stated.
The Five Projects at a Glance
The five cleared seaport projects represent a multi-billion dollar infrastructure programme spanning Nigeria’s southern coastline from west to east:
Badagry Deep Sea Port — Lagos State: Estimated to cost $2.59 billion, the Badagry project has received FEC approval and is projected to create approximately 250,000 jobs and attract significant foreign direct investment. It is expected to generate a total of $53.6 billion in revenue over a 45-year concession period. The project is structured in four phases under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) Public-Private Partnership model and is designed as a full-scale greenfield commercial deep seaport conceived to augment Nigeria’s existing port capacity and open new trade facilitation channels.
Olokola Deep Sea Port — Ondo State: President Tinubu has granted approval for the immediate take-off of the Olokola Deep Seaport in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, to be developed as the Blue Marine Economic Zone within the Olokola Free Trade Zone, approximately 100 kilometres from Lagos. Dangote Group has commenced development of the 10,000-hectare facility, with its backers positioning it as a key gateway for Nigerian exports and imports and a boost to the country’s competitiveness in regional and global trade.
Ibom Deep Sea Port — Akwa Ibom State: Designed for very large vessels, the Ibom Deep Sea Port is conceived as a transshipment port from which smaller vessels will redistribute cargo from mother vessels to river ports closer to consignees within Nigeria and in neighbouring countries. The project, valued at $4.6 billion, previously received Federal Executive Council approval of $2.016 billion in 2020.
Bakassi Deep Sea Port — Cross River State: The Bakassi Deep Seaport has received its Certificate of Compliance following Federal Executive Council approval. The Director-General of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr. Jobson Ewalefoh, described it as a game-changer for Nigeria’s maritime and logistics ecosystem that would serve as a new maritime gateway for the country’s North-Central and North-East regions, while positioning Nigeria as a major logistics hub for West and Central Africa. Cross River State Governor Senator Bassey Otu described the milestone as historic, stressing that the state is strategically positioned to play a leading role in Nigeria’s maritime development.
Bonny Deep Sea Port — Rivers State: The Bonny Deep Sea Port is a greenfield development project sited at the southwest tip of Bonny Island, approximately 1.4 kilometres from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) facility, and is to be developed in two phases at an estimated total cost of $2 billion. Phase one includes two 8,000 TEU container berths, a general purpose berth and an oil service berth.
The Bleeding Wound: Nigeria’s Cargo Haemorrhage
The push to fast-track these projects comes against a backdrop of staggering economic losses driven by the chronic inefficiency of Nigeria’s existing port infrastructure. Annually, no fewer than $3.5 billion worth of Nigerian-bound cargoes are diverted to neighbouring ports, with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council estimating that 75 per cent of goods handled at neighbouring ports are actually intended for Nigeria.
Maritime expert and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, citing analysis by Dutch consultancy firm Dynanmar, has warned that while 80 per cent of all containers headed to West and Central Africa are destined for Nigeria, less than 20 per cent actually arrive through Nigerian ports. The remainder flows to Cotonou in Benin Republic, Tema in Ghana, and Lomé in Togo.
The financial cost of this failure is enormous. Nigeria loses approximately N20 billion every day at its seaports due to poor infrastructure and the inefficiencies that frustrate cargo movement. PwC Nigeria estimates that port inefficiencies cost the economy N2.5 trillion annually in lost revenue, while the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry puts business losses from delays and port-related expenses alone at approximately $10 billion every year.
A fresh warning has come from the Sea Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC), whose April 2026 policy advisory painted a troubling picture of the first quarter of the year. The report noted that cargo dwell time has exceeded 15 days on average, while vessel turnaround ranges between four and six days — far above global best practices. It also recorded a decline of between 8 and 12 per cent in non-oil exports, signalling a gradual loss of competitiveness in Nigeria’s export sector. SEREC warned that ports along the Cotonou–Lomé corridor are increasingly attracting Nigerian-bound cargo due to lower costs, faster clearance times, and more predictable regulatory environments, and that between 15 and 25 per cent of Nigeria-bound cargo could shift to these neighbouring ports within the next 12 to 24 months if reforms are not urgently implemented.
Reform Momentum and What Comes Next
Despite the gravity of the cargo diversion problem, there are signs of momentum. The NPA’s 2025 Operational Performance Report showed that total cargo throughput surged by 24.8 per cent, rising from approximately 103.6 million metric tonnes in 2024 to over 129.3 million metric tonnes — one of the most significant annual increases in Nigeria’s maritime history.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, told the PMAWCA mid-year session that the Tinubu administration is also upgrading existing seaports through infrastructure modernisation, digital transformation, and channel deepening projects aimed at accommodating larger vessels, and that coordinated reforms and stronger collaboration among government agencies have contributed to improved cargo evacuation, reduced vessel waiting time, and a more predictable business environment for port users and investors.
The minister also pointed to the National Single Window initiative as a key reform expected to streamline cargo clearance through digital integration of port operations and government agencies.
Nigeria Watch
The regulatory clearance of all five deep seaport projects is an important milestone, but the shipping and logistics community must read it with clear eyes. The compliance certificates and FEC approvals represent the beginning of a process, not the end of one. As The Guardian reported in December 2025, several of these same projects have stalled for years — even decades — due to investor fatigue and a financing gap that analysts estimate at over $14 billion.
The critical variable is not regulatory paperwork but committed private capital. With each deep seaport costing a minimum of $2 billion to develop and global shipping lines demanding hinterland connectivity guarantees before committing vessel calls, Nigeria’s port expansion ambitions will stand or fall on its ability to close the investment gap. Freight forwarders, terminal operators, and shipping agents operating out of Apapa and Tin Can Island should watch closely for investor announcements, concession agreements, and ground-breaking timelines — those will be the true indicators of whether this latest push translates into operational infrastructure or joins the long list of announced-but-undelivered port projects that have defined Nigeria’s maritime story for the past two decades.
-
Oil and Gas3 months agoTantita’s Pipeline Deal: $144m Contract, Rising Output, and the Questions that Deserve Answers
-
Blue Economy3 months agoNigeria’s Coast Guard Bill: A Solution in Search of a Problem?
-
MARITIME TRADE & SHIPPING3 months agoWorld’s Largest Container Ship Sets New Maritime Record with 22,233 TEUs on Single Voyage