Vessels spent longer at Nigerian ports in the first half of 2026, with average turnaround time rising to 5.3 days from 5.0 days a year earlier, according to a performance review by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The 6 percent increase was classified as a ‘negative performance’ in the report, which was presented before the Nigeria Ports Consultative Council (NPCC) and excludes crude oil terminals.
Five of the seven ports covered recorded longer turnaround times during the period, even as vessel traffic, cargo throughput and container volumes increased.
Delta Port recorded the largest deterioration, with average turnaround time rising to 5.2 days from 3.4 days in the first half of 2025.
Lekki Port, Nigeria’s only deep seaport, which has recorded rapid growth in vessel traffic, saw turnaround time increase to 3.3 days from 2.1 days, a 57 percent rise. The increase coincides with a 48.4 percent rise in vessel calls at the port in the first half of the year.
At Tin Can Island Port, turnaround time increased to 5.1 days from 4.4 days, while Lagos Port Complex, which includes Apapa, recorded a marginal increase to 6.1 days from 5.9 days.
Calabar port also recorded a deterioration, with turnaround time rising to 6.1 days from 5.7 days.
Only Rivers and Onne ports recorded improvements.
Rivers Port reduced its average turnaround time to 8.1 days from 10 days, although it remained the slowest of the seven ports.
Onne improved to 3.3 days from 3.6 days despite a 26.6 percent increase in vessel traffic.
Gains under pressure
The slowdown at Apapa and Tin Can Island comes after both ports had been recognised for improvements in vessel performance over the previous five years.
The two ports were ranked among the 15 most-improved ports globally for vessel time between 2020 and 2025 in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index published in June.
Tin Can Island’s CPPI score improved by 42 points over the period, from -68 to -25.8, while Apapa’s improved by 35 points, from -61 to -26.4.
The NPA’s review comes as Nigerian ports handle growing volumes of maritime traffic. Total cargo throughput in January to June rose 12.2 percent to 68.3 million metric tonnes, from 60.8 million tonnes in the same period of 2025.
Vessel calls climbed 6.9 percent to 2,300 ships, while gross registered tonnage jumped 20.9 percent to 96.7 million.
The increase in turnaround time potentially adds to the cost of shipping and cargo handling. Current performance could affect future ratings.