The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Monday announced one of its strongest quarterly results in recent years, recording a spectacular 1,085 per cent increase in containers loaded for export, while total cargo throughput rose to 33.52 million metric tonnes in the third quarter of 2025.
Operational data released on Monday by the Authority showed that cargo handled during the period increased by 16.2 percent, up from 28.84 million metric tonnes recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024, reflecting growing commercial activity at Nigerian ports.
Container operations contributed significantly to the improved performance. Total container traffic increased 18.9 percent to 546,931 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) in the third quarter of 2025, compared to 460,038 TEU in the third quarter of 2024.
Within this, laden import containers rose 33.1 percent to 268,713 TEU, from 201,839 TEU a year earlier, while laden export containers rose to 69,039 TEU, from just 5,812 TEU in the same period in 2024.
The sharp increase in export containers also led to a 21.5 percent reduction in empty container traffic, indicating a better balance between imports and exports and stronger non-oil export activity.
Maritime traffic also recorded notable growth during the quarter. The number of vessel calls increased by 8.4 percent to 1,074 vessels, from 991 vessels in the third quarter of 2024. At the same time, total gross registered tonnage (GRT) increased by 18 percent to 42.64 million, compared to 36.13 million recorded a year earlier, indicating that Nigerian ports are increasingly handling larger vessels.
A breakdown of the number of ship calls across the ports revealed that Tin Can Port topped the list with 22.7 percent, followed by Apapa Port with 22.2 percent. Onne and Lekki ports followed with 18.9 percent and 18.4 percent respectively, while Calabar port contributed the least with 2.1 percent.
However, analysis of ship calls by ship size revealed that Lekki port received the largest ships with an average gross registered tonnage (GRT) of 57,244, followed by Onne port with an average of 51,276 GRT. Apapa and Tin Can Island ports received ships with an average GRT of 35,556 and 34,400, while the average size of ships calling at Delta Ports was 18,677 tonnes.
Similarly, a breakdown of cargo performance by port showed that Lekki port emerged as the dominant growth driver, accounting for 46.8 percent of the total cargo handled in the third quarter of 2025. Onne port contributed 17 percent, followed by Apapa port with 15.1 percent and Tin Can Island port with 10 percent, while Calabar port recorded the largest share. low.
Further analysis by cargo type revealed that liquid bulk accounted for the largest share at 53.8 percent, followed by containerized cargo, which contributed 26.6 percent, while dry bulk and other general cargoes contributed 11.3 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively.
Commenting on the figures, the Director General of NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, attributed the strong performance to the federal government’s export-focused economic reforms and improved investor confidence, noting that the results reflect increasing efficiency across all pilotage districts.
He added that ongoing port modernization, deployment of export processing terminals and expansion of digital systems such as the electronic truck hailing platform have helped reduce bottlenecks, improve turnaround time and position Nigerian ports to play a more strategic role in regional trade.
Industry analysts say the third quarter performance underlines the maritime sector’s growing contribution to Nigeria’s non-oil export drive, as ports become more closely aligned with the country’s broader economic diversification agenda.