In a strategic effort to strengthen Nigeria’s non-oil exports, APM Terminals Apapa, the country’s largest container terminal, has expanded its yard capacity to accommodate growing export cargo volumes.
With this recent expansion, the terminal now offers an additional 2,400 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) in container capacity.
Steen Knudsen, Terminal Manager, highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian economy, emphasising that the improvements stem from feedback received from exporters and shipping lines.
“We’ve held several interactive forums to gather insights and improve our processes,” Knudsen said. “The expanded yard is a direct result of this collaboration. Additionally, we’ve completed paving the customs examination section, enhancing the standard of the inspection area and improving cargo tidiness and efficiency.”
The Terminal Manager also stressed that the expansion and paving projects were completed with 254,188 contractor man-hours, all without any safety or security incidents, reflecting the terminal’s focus on both safety and operational excellence.
“We are dedicated to maintaining high safety standards while delivering efficient services,” he said.
The yard expansion will enable the terminal to handle export containers more efficiently, reducing wait times and streamlining overall operations. With these upgrades, the export section is now better equipped to meet the increasing demand and boost throughput.
As part of its broader export promotion initiative, APM Terminals Apapa has also enhanced its barge capacity, gate access, and dedicated export lanes to shorten turnaround times for export containers. These improvements have delivered significant results, with the terminal recording a 9% increase in its non-oil export volumes for the first half (H1) of 2024, reaching 51,000 TEUs, compared to 47,000 TEUs for H1 2023.
Over the past four years, APM Terminals Apapa has seen steady growth in non-oil export cargo. Starting at 53,000 TEUs in 2020, export volumes rose to 63,000 TEUs in 2021 and 71,000 TEUs in 2022. The most dramatic increase occurred in 2023, with volumes surging to 94,000 TEUs—a remarkable 32% growth.