Nigerian Ports Authority records Significant Growth in Cargo Throughput*
By Babatunde Aremu
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has reported a notable increase in cargo throughput, export, and import containers in the third quarter of 2025.
According to the NPA’s latest data, a total of 1,074 ships called at the country’s seaports during the period, representing an 8.4% increase from 991 vessels in the corresponding period of 2024. The total Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of the vessels jumped by 18% to 42.64 million, compared with 36.13 million recorded a year earlier.
A breakdown of the number of ship calls along the port locations revealed that Tin Can Port topped the chart at 22.7%, followed by Apapa Port at 22.2%. Onne and Lekki Ports followed with 18.9% and 18.4% respectively, while Calabar Port contributed the least at 2.1%. Notably, Lekki Port received the largest size ships with an average Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT) of 57,244, followed by Onne Port with an average of 51,276 GRT.
The NPA Managing Director, Abubakar DANTSOHO said the strong performance is attributed to the Federal Government’s export-focused economic reforms and improved investor confidence. The results reflect growing efficiency across all pilotage districts and a better balance between imports and exports. With the increasing growth in cargo throughput and ship traffic, Nigerian ports are poised for even more significant economic contributions in the future.
