NPA Tackles Container Congestion at Apapa Port, Calls for Enhanced Coordination

NPA Tackles Container Congestion at Apapa Port, Calls for Enhanced Coordination

By Prince Benson Davies

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has taken a proactive step to address the growing concern of container congestion at the APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos, by convening a meeting with major shipping lines and terminal operators to discuss challenges and find solutions.

The General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, NPA, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, who started this to newsmen in Lagos, informed that the meeting, which was held on Wednesday, the 4th of June, 2025, at the instance of the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Adebowale Law, had in attendance major shipping lines including: Maersk Line, Hapag Lloyd, Pacific International Lines, PIL, CMA CGM, COSCO shipping and APM Terminals APMT.

Onyemekara stated that all the shipping lines present during the meeting submitted that they had holding bays, which, according to them, was a prerequisite for license renewal by the NPA. “They also posited that the NPA Headquarters’ Operations Team usually inspects those holding bays to ascertain their capacity before license renewal”, the GM said.

“While requesting all the shipping lines to submit a list detailing their holding bays, including locations and capacity, the port management emphasized the need to be involved in the examination of those holding bays to keep abreast of the potential operational challenges”, he added.

At APM Terminals, Onyemekara quoted the shipping lines as saying that the Management of APMT usually communicates available free pools to each shipping line to guide their container movement.

Shipping lines also blamed the significant congestion during the period under review on a simultaneous gate closure to all the shipping lines by the management. He said

Onyemekara, however, said that the APMT management insisted that the terminal reached its full capacity due to increased import and export volume, arguing that there was a notable delay in the evacuation of both imports and exports by the shipping lines.

Speaking on the resolutions reached at the meeting, the NPA spokesman observed that it was resolved that the APMT should regularly communicate yard stock levels to the shipping lines to improve planning and coordination.

“It was also resolved that the notification period before terminal gate closure should be revised as follows: five (5) days’ initial notice in advance; three (3) days’ reminder before closure, and one (1) final notice before closure.

“While it was further resolved that APMT was to engage off-dock terminals by moving import containers to off-dock terminals to create more space within the terminal, the Port Management should actively participate in the inspection and assessment of holding bays to better understand and manage capacity and operational challenges.

“While all parties acknowledged their respective responsibilities, it was agreed that better communication, timely notification and strategic use of holding bays and bonded terminals were critical to alleviating pressure on terminal capacity”, he submitted.

“He thereafter quoted the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Adebowale Lawal, emphasising the urgent need for enhanced coordination among terminal operators, shipping lines and the port management to address the growing challenges related to terminal congestion, especially due to the accumulation of empty containers.

Recall that there have been insinuations suggesting that APM Terminals Apapa is not receiving empty containers, allegedly contributing to yard congestion. However, the terminal operator has clarified that the management of empty container evacuation into the terminal – and subsequent shipment onto vessels – is the exclusive responsibility of shipping lines, which own and control all containers.

APM Terminals Apapa’s Terminal Manager, Steen Knudsen, attributed the congestion to shipping lines prioritising laden container discharge over empty container evacuation, resulting in yard space constraints. He emphasised that shipping lines, which own and control the containers, are responsible for managing empty container evacuation, and the terminal has had to restrict further empty container intake until the existing backlog is cleared.