The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has reported a 1,085 per cent surge in export-laden containers as total cargo throughput rose to 33.52 million metric tonnes in the third quarter of 2025.

In a statement, the NPA stressed that the figure represents one of its strongest quarterly performances in recent years.

The statement explained that operational data released by the authority over the weekend showed that cargo handled during the period increased by 16.2 per cent, rising from 28.84 million metric tonnes recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024, reflecting increased trade activity across Nigeria’s ports.

It added that container operations were a significant contributor to the improved performance.

“The NPA recorded a dramatic 1,085 per cent surge in export-laden containers as total cargo throughput rose to 33.52 million metric tonnes in the third quarter of 2025. Total container traffic climbed by 18.9 per cent to 546,931 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in Q3 2025, compared with 460,038 TEUs in Q3 2024.

“Within this, import-laden containers rose by 33.1 per cent to 268,713 TEUs, from 201,839 TEUs a year earlier, while export-laden containers surged to 69,039 TEUs, from just 5,812 TEUs in the same period of 2024,” the statement read.

It highlighted that the sharp rise in export containers also led to a 21.5 per cent reduction in empty container traffic, signalling improved balance between imports and exports and stronger non-oil export activity.

“Ship traffic also recorded notable growth during the quarter. The number of vessel calls increased by 8.4 per cent to 1,074 ships, from 991 vessels in Q3 2024. At the same time, total gross registered tonnage jumped by 18 per cent to 42.64 million tonnes, compared with 36.13 million tonnes recorded a year earlier, indicating that Nigerian ports are increasingly handling larger vessels,” it added.

A breakdown of vessel calls across port locations showed that Tincan Port accounted for 22.7 per cent, followed by Apapa Port at 22.2 per cent, while Onne and Lekki Ports recorded 18.9 percent and 18.4 percent respectively. Calabar Port contributed the least at 2.1 per cent.