Port Operator Tackles Export Bottlenecks, Targets 24-Hour Barge, 60% Rail Evacuation

As the federal government intensifies efforts to diversify the economy and increase non-oil exports, APM Terminals Apapa has unveiled an aggressive logistics strategy to tackle bottlenecks hampering Nigeria’s export trade, targeting the evacuation of 60 per cent of export containers by rail and the commencement of round-the-clock barge operations in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The terminal said the measures were designed to ease cargo evacuation, reduce delays and attract more export volumes back to Apapa.

The initiatives were announced at the third edition of the APM Terminals Apapa Exporters Forum, themed, “Exports – Voice of Customers Forum,” which brought together exporters, shipping lines, logistics operators, regulators, industry stakeholders and academia to identify challenges across the export supply chain and develop practical solutions.

The terminal’s head of Commercial, Kayode Olufemi-Daniel, said the company was moving beyond identifying challenges to addressing their root causes through collaboration with stakeholders across the export chain.

“We want to understand the pain points with the export process end to end. From there, we look at the root causes of those pain points, identify those root causes, then collectively come up with an action plan on how we can address those issues to increase the export flow,” he said.

A major component of the strategy is the expansion of the terminal’s barging operations, with its dedicated Finger Jetty scheduled to commence 24-hour operations in Q4 2026.

The facility will handle both incoming and outgoing containers, allowing customers to move export cargo into the terminal, evacuate imports and bring in empty containers at any time of the day.

Olufemi-Daniel said the development would significantly expand the terminal’s barge-handling capacity.

“This gives us the capacity to handle more barges unlike the past when we had to do barging on our main quay,” he said.

“We now have additional barging capacity which will be operated on our Finger Jetty.”

The terminal is also placing rail at the centre of its export evacuation strategy, with a target of moving 60 per cent of export containers by rail.

Key client manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Adesoji Olaniyan, disclosed this at the forum, saying the terminal had already established rail evacuation arrangements through two locations.

According to him, the arrangements enable customers to collect empty containers, stuff them and return laden export containers to the terminal by rail.

He said each location currently records about three weekly rail calls, depending on demand, while each train has a capacity of approximately 60 TEUs.

Olaniyan said the terminal’s internal assessment showed that rail remained the most cost-effective option for cargo evacuation.

Beyond infrastructure, Olufemi-Daniel said APM Terminals was strengthening communication with shipping lines, exporters, importers and regulatory agencies to improve cargo visibility and streamline operations.

“We want exporters to come back to Apapa. We want the volumes to come back, which is why we want to ensure the ease of doing business,” he said.

“We want Apapa to become Nigeria’s export gateway, particularly as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to diversify the economy and increase non-oil exports.”

The renewed push for rail and barging comes against the backdrop of persistent logistics challenges confronting exporters, including cargo evacuation, container availability, visibility and coordination among different players in the supply chain.

Participants at the forum commended APM Terminals for providing a platform for stakeholders to openly discuss operational challenges and assess progress on recommendations from previous engagements.

COSCO Shipping Lines Nigeria Customer Service Manager, Precious Idika, highlighted the effectiveness of the terminal’s Team View portal in simplifying processes for customers.

“Working with APM Terminals has been seamless. The Team View Portal is one of the initiatives that has made our work much easier, particularly the gating process. Customers can complete their payment advice through the portal, while shipping lines also play their part by ensuring that Team View is updated. Together, these features create a seamless process that enables customers to access the terminal with ease,” Idika said.

Also speaking, Lagos Business School faculty member, Prof. Frank Ojadi, described the forum as an important platform for sustained engagement between APM Terminals and stakeholders in the export value chain.

Ojadi, however, urged the terminal to extend the initiative beyond Lagos to major commercial and export-producing centres such as Kano and Port Harcourt.

Representatives of Maersk Line, British American Tobacco Nigeria, PIL Nigeria, Allround Cargo Company, Star Living Nigeria and other stakeholders also acknowledged visible improvements in the terminal’s operations.

The terminal said sustained engagement with stakeholders would remain central to its efforts to improve export flows, reduce logistics bottlenecks and strengthen Apapa’s position as a major gateway for Nigeria’s non-oil exports.