Imported vehicle traffic through Nigerian ports recorded one of the sharpest growth rates in the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) half-year performance scorecard, with 103,375 vehicle units handled between January and June 2026, representing a 42.5 per cent increase over the 72,568 units recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
The figures were presented by the Managing Director of the NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, at the quarterly meeting of the Port Consultative Council (PCC) in Lagos on Thursday, where the NPA benchmarked its first-half 2026 operational data against the same period in 2025 to gauge overall port performance.
According to the NPA boss who was represented by the Principal Manager Statistics, Mrs Okenwa Igwebuike, the growth in vehicle handling was driven largely by transhipment activity at the PTML Terminal on Tin Can Island Port, which contributed significantly to the remarkable increase recorded in vehicle traffic during the period.
The vehicle import surge came against the backdrop of an overall positive performance across nearly every major indicator tracked by the Authority.
Vessel calls at Nigerian ports rose to 2,152 in the first half of 2026, a 6.9 per cent increase, while gross registered earnings climbed to 96,693,108 from 79,981,595 recorded in the first half of 2025, representing a 20.9 per cent jump.
Total cargo throughput across the nation’s ports stood at 68,294,210 metric tons, up 12.2 per cent from 60,844,521 metric tons handled in the same period last year. Inward cargo alone accounted for 38,411,323 metric tons, against 36,338,068 metric tons in 2025, an increase of 5.6 per cent.
Lekki Port emerged as the standout performer among the nation’s port locations, recording a 48.4 per cent increase in vessel calls and now handling nearly 40 per cent of total national cargo throughput, a growth the Authority attributed largely to operations at the Dangote Refinery, which accounted for 76 per cent of total cargo traffic recorded at the port during the review period.
Onne Port also posted strong growth, with a 26.6 per cent rise in vessel calls, supported largely by LNG exports and now accounting for 22.7 per cent of national cargo throughput.
Calabar and Rivers ports remained marginal contributors, jointly accounting for just over 4 per cent of cargo handled nationwide. All other port locations recorded a decline in vessel calls during the period.
Container traffic also trended upward, with total throughput reaching 815,346 TEUs, a 10.3 per cent increase over the 709,142 TEUs recorded in the first half of 2025.
Container imports made up the bulk of this volume at 546,755 TEUs, or 67 per cent of total container traffic, while exports stood at 203,980 TEUs, representing 25 per cent.
Transhipment traffic recorded the steepest growth of any container category, rising 169.5 per cent to 35,570 TEUs from 13,199 TEUs in the corresponding period last year, though it still accounts for just 4 per cent of overall container traffic.
Not all indicators trended positively. Ship turnaround time worsened, with vessels spending an average of 5.3 days at berth compared with a shorter turnaround recorded in the same period of 2025, a decline the report attributed a 6 per cent negative performance to.
Presenting the report, the NPA boss said the Authority’s benchmarking exercise against 2025 was designed to give the Port Consultative Council clear insight into operational performance indicators and developments in port activities from January to June 2026, in support of strategic decision-making.
The report identified the Dangote Refinery as a defining factor in the sector’s growth trajectory, noting that the facility now accounts for approximately 40 per cent of total annual port traffic.
With the refinery’s planned expansion to 1.4 million barrels per day, the NPA MD said further investment in port infrastructure and the implementation of a balanced traffic policy would be required to accommodate the anticipated rise in cargo volumes and maximise the associated economic benefits to the nation.
