‘Ships berthing at ports lowest in 2016’

Ship traffic statistics at Nigerian ports has shown that the number of ships that berthed at various Nigerian ports continued to drop from 2013 with the highest level in 2016.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Shipping and Ports Report Q4 2016 released yesterday, 19,833 vessels berthed at the various ports between 2013 and 2016.

Similarly, 543,842,425 tonnages were registered within the period under review. Year 2014 recorded the highest number of vessels berthed as well as tonnages registered while the least were recorded in 2016

The drop in traffic affected the Apapa Port, Tin Can port, Onne Port, Calabar port, and Delta port apparently due to economic recession.The report however showed that Tin Can Island Port handled the most ships accounting for 33 percent of total number of ships that berthed in all ports and 32 percent of total tonnage registered in all ports.

It was then closely followed by Apapa port, which accounted for 28 percent of ships that berthed and 25 percent of total tonnage registered and Onne port, which accounted for 15 percent of ships that berthed and 30 percent of total tonnage registered.

Also, statistics revealed a total of 312,185, 808-cargo traffic was recorded at all the ports between 2013 and 2016. 196,851,236 or 63 percent of the cargo traffic were inwards while 115, 334572 or 37 percent were outward.

Apapa port handled the most number of inward cargoes accounting for 39 percent and closely followed by Tin Can Island and Delta ports accounting for 31 percent and 11 percent respectively. Calabar port accounts for 4.29 percent to record the least.

Similarly, Onne ports handled the most number of outward cargoes accounting for 80 percent and closely followed by Delta and Apapa ports accounting for 10.63 percent and 3.52 percent respectively.

Also, the report indicated that Calabar port accounted for 0.05% to record the least. The number of passenger traffic within the period under review was put at 52,262 while the highest number of passenger traffic was recorded in 2013.