Nigerian ports recorded 2,152 vessel calls in the first half of 2026, a 6.9 per cent increase, with Lekki Port handling 48.4 per cent of the vessels and nearly 40 per cent of the total national cargo throughput.

This was contained in the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) half-year performance scorecard presented at the quarterly meeting of the Port Consultative Council (PCC) in Lagos.

The Managing Director of NPA, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, said Lekki Port emerged as the standout performer among the nation’s port locations, attributing the growth largely to operations at the Dangote Refinery, which accounted for 76 per cent of total cargo traffic recorded at the port during the review period.

”tonnes handled in the same period last year, while inward cargo accounted for 38,411,323 metric tonnes, against 36,338,068 metric tonnes n 2025, an increase of 5.6 per cent.

The NPA boss said Onne Port also posted strong growth, with a 26.6 per cent rise in vessel calls, supported largely by LNG exports and now accounting for 22.7 per cent of national cargo throughput.

He said Calabar and Rivers ports remained marginal contributors, jointly accounting for just over four per cent of cargo handled nationwide, while other port recorded a decline in vessel calls during the period.

Dantsoho also stated that the gross registered earnings climbed to 96,693,108 from 79,981,595 recorded in the first half of 2025, representing a 20.9 per cent jump.