The Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos received a total of 4,926 TEUs transhipment cargoes between January and March 2024, marking a critical milestone for the port’s operational capabilities.
This is according to data obtained by our correspondent during the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Performance Review for the first quarter of 2024 at the 2nd quarterly meeting of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) recently.
The comprehensive data provided, revealed several key metrics underscoring the port’s contributions. The data showed that Lekki port was the only port that received transhipment cargoes in the first quarter of the year amounting to 4926 TEUs
In general, the total number of vessels that berthed at Nigerian ports in Q1 2024 was 932, a slight decrease from 974 in Q1 2023.
However, Lekki Port saw 54 vessels, reflecting its growing role in national maritime traffic. The Lagos Port Complex received the highest number of 251 vessels, as against 271 vessels received in the same period in 2023.
The Tin Can Island Port came second with 225 vessels as against 261 received in the same period 2023.
Onne Port followed closely with 172 vessels as against 154 received in the same period of 2023.
In terms of cargo traffic, the report shows a marked increase in inward cargo traffic across Nigerian ports, totaling 18,563,173 metric tons, up 10.5% from 16,814,884 metric tons in the same period last year.
The overall cargo throughput for Nigerian ports reached 21,186,348 metric tons in Q1 2024, a substantial 27.7% increase from 16,614,048 metric tons in Q1 2023.
This notable rise according to findings by our correspondent is partly attributed to the increased operational efficiency and capacity at Lekki Port, which is swiftly becoming a pivotal hub for cargo handling in Nigeria.
Container traffic, measured in Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), also saw significant growth. The total container traffic for Nigerian ports climbed to 18,243,564 TEUs, a 16.1% increase compared to the previous year.
Lekki port container throughput rose from 297,000 TEUs in Q1 2023 to 389,303 TEUs in Q1 2024, representing a 2.3% increase.
In terms of Import container traffic, Lekki Port had 34,235 TEUs recorded in Q1 2024, compared to 29,566 TEUs in the same period last year.
Export container traffic also saw an increase, with 8,155 TEUs in Q1 2024 compared to 6,970 TEUs in Q1 2023.
