The Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) said efforts to evacuate a backlog of export containers congesting the Apapa port are underway after a major shipping company assured the regulator it will send a ship next week.
In June, BusinessDay reported that Nigerian exporters were struggling to move cargo out of the country as disruptions to global shipping routes due to tensions in the Middle East squeezed vessel availability and trapped billions of naira in delayed shipments.
The report noted that thousands of containers, mainly carrying agricultural goods and industrial products, have sat for months at terminals in Apapa and Tin Can Island ports after shipping lines cut sailings and rerouted vessels. Some terminals even began rejecting export containers after being overwhelmed by the pile-up.
Come back to read: Nigeria’s exporters battle port gridlock as Middle East war disrupts shipping
Though representatives of the Nigerian Ports Authority initially denied the development upon BusinessDay’s enquiry and efforts to reach the Council proved futile, the NSC over the weekend confirmed that no fewer than 1,800 export containers are currently trapped at the APM Terminals (APMT) Apapa due to growing congestion at the terminal.
