By Godwin Oritse
APM Terminals Apapa is moving to tackle key bottlenecks in Nigeria’s export logistics chain, with plans to scale up rail evacuation and commence 24-hour barge operations in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The terminal, Nigeria’s largest container facility, unveiled the initiatives at the third edition of its Exporters Forum, themed “Exports – Voice of Customers Forum,” where exporters, shipping lines, logistics operators, regulators, industry stakeholders and academics examined constraints affecting the country’s export supply chain.
The forum focused on developing practical measures to improve cargo evacuation, reduce delays and strengthen the efficiency and competitiveness of Nigeria’s export logistics system.
Speaking at the event, Head of Commercial, APM Terminals Apapa, Kayode Olufemi-Daniel, said the terminal was adopting a collaborative approach to resolving export logistics challenges by addressing the underlying causes of delays and working with stakeholders to implement practical solutions.
“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.
APM Terminals is also expanding its barging capability through its dedicated Finger Jetty, which will commence 24-hour operations in Q4 2026. The facility will support both incoming and outgoing containers, allowing customers to move export cargo into the terminal, evacuate imports and bring in empty containers around the clock.
“This gives us the capacity to handle more barges unlike the past when we had to do barging on our main quay,” Olufemi-Daniel said. “We now have additional barging capacity which will be operated on our Finger Jetty.”
He said the terminal is equally 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,” Olufemi-Daniel 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.”
A major component of the terminal’s strategy is expanded use of rail. Key Client Manager, Adesoji Olaniyan, said APM Terminals Apapa had set an ambitious target of moving 60 per cent of its export containers by rail.
He said the terminal currently operates rail evacuation arrangements through two locations, enabling customers to collect empty containers, stuff them and return laden export containers to the terminal by rail. Each location currently records about three weekly rail calls, depending on demand, while each train has a capacity of approximately 60 TEUs.
Olaniyan said based on the terminal’s internal assessment, rail remained the most cost-effective evacuation option.
Participants at the forum commended APM Terminals for providing a platform for stakeholders to openly discuss operational challenges and track progress on previous recommendations.
COSCO Shipping Lines Nigeria Customer Service Manager, Precious Idika, highlighted the effectiveness of the terminal’s Team View portal in simplifying processes for customers, while Lagos Business School faculty member Prof. Frank Ojadi praised the forum as an important channel for sustained engagement.
“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.
Ojadi urged APM Terminals 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.
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