41 vessels expected at Lagos ports with fuel, food, others –NPA

By Uche Usim

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has disclosed that 41 vessels carrying petroleum products, food items and other commodities are scheduled to arrive at Lagos ports between March 10 and March 16.

The development was contained in the agency’s daily Shipping Position report released to journalists on Tuesday in Lagos.

According to the NPA, the vessels are expected to berth at the Apapa Port, Tin-Can Island Port and the Lekki Deep Sea Port, three of the country’s busiest maritime gateways handling a large share of Nigeria’s import and export trade.

A breakdown of the shipping schedule shows that 17 of the incoming vessels are laden with containers conveying different categories of goods destined for businesses and consumers across the country.

The remaining 24 vessels are expected to berth with bulk cargoes including urea, crude oil, premium motor spirit (petrol), fresh fish, bitumen, crude palm oil and bulk gypsum.

The authority also reported ongoing vessel traffic across the ports, noting that eight ships and tanker vessels had already arrived and were awaiting berthing space. These vessels are carrying consignments such as petrol, general cargo, bulk urea, bulk fertiliser and containerised goods.

In addition, the NPA said that 22 ships are currently discharging cargoes at the three ports.

The cargoes being offloaded include bulk wheat, general cargo, bulk urea, bulk salt, bulk sugar, fresh fish, bulk gypsum as well as containers filled with assorted goods.

The steady flow of vessels into the Lagos ports underscores the critical role of the facilities in supporting Nigeria’s supply chain, particularly for fuel imports, industrial raw materials and essential food commodities needed to sustain domestic production and consumption.