Gloria Odion Maritme reporter 

High port charges, ageing infrastructure, fragmented digital systems and poor stakeholder attitudes have emerged as major threats to the competitiveness of Nigerian ports, maritime industry stakeholders have warned.

They said the challenges were driving up the cost of cargo handling, delaying vessel and cargo turnaround, weakening the attractiveness of Nigerian ports and potentially diverting cargoes to competing ports in neighbouring countries.

The stakeholders spoke during a panel session at the 4th Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Maritime Annual Lecture (MAMAL 2026), held at the Nigerian Air Force Events Centre, 1 Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The lecture was themed “Nigerian Ports Modernisation, Charges and the Competitiveness Question.”

Moderating the session, Mr Emmanuel Maigunwa said port competitiveness should not be viewed merely from the perspective of reducing the cost of importing and exporting goods, but also in terms of positioning Nigeria as a major regional trade and transit hub.

He said efficient and competitively priced ports would reduce the burden on businesses and consumers while enabling Nigeria to attract transit cargoes from neighbouring countries and maximise the economic benefits of its strategic maritime location.

Representing the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr Willem Inya identified the multiplicity of port charges as a major concern for private-sector operators.

According to him, importers are often confronted with several charges in the course of clearing their containers, while delays frequently lead to additional demurrage and other costs.

He called for the harmonisation and rationalisation of port charges, warning that excessive and multiple charges could undermine the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses.

Also speaking, the Assistant General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Planning, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Joseph Adegbite, identified ageing infrastructure as one of the most critical constraints to efficient port operations.

Adegbite said most Nigerian ports, with the exception of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, were more than 50 years old, making large-scale infrastructure renewal imperative to improving productivity and efficiency.

He explained that deteriorating infrastructure limits the deployment of modern cargo-handling equipment, thereby affecting productivity and increasing vessel and cargo dwell time.

“Every inefficiency in port operations ultimately translates into additional costs for port users and consumers,” he said.

Adegbite disclosed that the Federal Government’s port modernisation programme would commence with the Lagos port complex, given the area’s dominant share of Nigeria’s maritime traffic, before extending to ports in the Eastern region.

He, however, stressed that modernisation must not be restricted to physical infrastructure.

According to him, digital integration, renewable energy, Port Community Systems and the implementation of a Maritime Single Window are equally essential to creating an efficient modern port system.

“Port operation is a communal system. It is a community,” he said, stressing the need for all agencies and stakeholders operating within the port environment to be digitally integrated.

Such integration, he explained, would eliminate operational silos, improve information sharing and reduce delays.

Adegbite also identified infrastructure deficiencies at several ports, including the Rivers and Warri ports, while noting that the Onne Port also required significant infrastructure improvements.

Contributing from the floor, the Managing Director of Le Look Bags, Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, said infrastructure renewal alone would not resolve the problems confronting Nigerian ports.

She argued that the attitude and mindset of port users, operators and other stakeholders must also change if investments in infrastructure were to produce sustainable results.

Ezenwa called for deliberate sensitisation and reorientation of stakeholders to promote responsible use and protection of public infrastructure.

She said she had witnessed instances of vandalism of government infrastructure, warning that substantial investments in port facilities could be undermined if public assets were not properly protected.

She therefore advocated sustained public enlightenment and a renewed value system among port users and operators.

On the implications of high port charges, Captain Ladi Olubowale of the African Ship Owners Association warned that excessive costs could encourage cargo diversion to ports in neighbouring countries.

He said cargoes diverted from Nigerian ports could eventually find their way into the country through land borders, adding that the additional logistics costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers and could worsen inflationary pressures.

Olubowale also linked excessive port charges to the growth of smuggling, arguing that high costs could undermine efforts to formalise trade and expand the Nigerian economy.

He maintained that achieving Nigeria’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030 would require efficient and competitive ports supported by transparent, harmonised and predictable charges.

The stakeholders consequently called for a coordinated port reform strategy combining infrastructure renewal, digitalisation, transparent and harmonised charges, stakeholder sensitisation and improved operational efficiency.

They stressed that Nigeria’s strategic geographical position and extensive maritime resources would not automatically translate into economic gains unless its ports became efficient, competitive and attractive to cargo owners and regional traders.

The panel discussion was one of the major activities at MAMAL 2026, MARAN’s flagship annual maritime lecture, which brought together policymakers, regulators, industry operators, academics, journalists and other stakeholders to examine the challenges and opportunities surrounding the modernisation and competitiveness of Nigerian ports.

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) recently hosted a well-attended stakeholder webinar focusing on the comprehensive transformation and modernization of the Nigerian Flag Registration system.

Amidst the various technical presentations, the core message from the regulatory agency was clear: a bold, unyielding transition toward a fully digitalized, automated ship registry designed to eliminate human bottlenecks.

While the maritime industry must commend the current leadership under Director-General Dr. Dayo Mobereola for prioritizing technological modernization, we must look beyond the glossy PowerPoint presentations and confront the harsh structural realities keeping indigenous shipowners away from our national register.

Automation is an excellent operational tool, but it is not a commercial magic wand.

The fundamental reason Nigerian shipowners aggressively patronize “flags of convenience” in open registries like Panama, Liberia, or the Marshall Islands is not merely the historical speed of registration.

The primary driver is economic survival.

Open registries offer attractive, predictable fiscal frameworks, minimal corporate tax burdens, and a complete absence of the double-customs duties that routinely cripple local operators right here in Nigeria.

If NIMASA truly wants to build a globally competitive flag registry, it must realize that digital speed must be matched by structural fiscal relief.

It is simply not enough to promise a shipowner that they can register a vessel online in 48 hours.

The real question that determines industry compliance is: what is the financial cost of flying the Nigerian flag after that digital registration is complete?

Currently, local shipowners face staggering customs duties on imported vessels, heavy corporate taxes, and an absolute lack of access to single-digit financing.

These financial bottlenecks make indigenous operators instantly uncompetitive against foreign-flagged vessels operating within our own domestic waters.

A digital registry that merely digitizes bureaucratic processes without reducing the underlying operational costs will ultimately fail to attract the required maritime tonnage.

To make this digital transition meaningful, NIMASA must look closely at the implementation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act of 2003 and the Merchant Shipping Act.

The spirit of the Cabotage Act was designed to empower indigenous operators, yet foreign vessels flying foreign flags still dominate our coastal trade.

This is because flying the Nigerian flag carries a financial penalty rather than a commercial advantage.

Therefore, NIMASA must urgently step outside the traditional boundaries of its maritime regulatory mandate and actively collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigeria Customs Service.

The agency must champion concrete fiscal incentives. This includes negotiating comprehensive tax holidays for newly registered indigenous vessels and securing a permanent waiver on customs duties for commercial ships flying the Nigerian flag.

Furthermore, the long-overdue disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) must be strategically integrated into this new digital dawn.

A shipowner who willingly registers their vessel under the Nigerian flag should automatically qualify for priority financial evaluation and access to these single-digit intervention funds to expand their fleet.

The maritime industry does not just want a registry that is easy to access online; we want a registry that makes economic sense to maintain.

The real success of NIMASA’s flag reform will not be measured by the number of webinars hosted or the smoothness of its digital portals.

It will be measured by the volume of actual tonnage that returns to the Nigerian flag.

Until NIMASA collaborates with fiscal authorities to put real economic teeth behind its digital promises, the Nigerian flag registry will remain technically advanced but commercially empty.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, write from Abuja.

—as NIMASA reiterates its commitment to its implementation

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to using Nigeria’s Cabotage regime to deepen indigenous participation in the maritime sector, with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) declaring the development of local shipping capacity a priority.

The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, stated this during an inspection tour of the African Pioneer Lagos, a specialised offshore Diving Support Vessel (DSV) operated by Marine Platforms Limited.

The visit, according to the NIMASA DG, underscored the growing capacity of Nigerian-owned and Nigerian-flagged vessels to undertake highly specialised offshore operations that were traditionally dominated by foreign operators.

The African Pioneer Lagos, with IMO Number 9808613, is a Nigerian-flagged DSV measuring approximately 143 metres in length, with a deadweight of about 8,000 metric tonnes.

The vessel is equipped for specialised deep-water subsea construction, diving, inspection and offshore oil and gas operations.

Mobereola said he was impressed by the vessel’s capabilities, stressing that Nigerian-flagged vessels with such capacity should enjoy priority in the nation’s maritime space.

“I’m quite happy at what I have seen today after the tour of this 8,000 metric tonnes African Pioneer Specialised Vessel.

“A vessel such as this flying the Nigerian flag should have priority over any foreign vessel.

“We are automating the Nigerian Ship Registry to make it more attractive and to ensure that more vessels like this fly the Nigerian flag.”

The NIMASA boss said improving the attractiveness and efficiency of the Nigerian Ship Registry was critical to encouraging more shipowners to register their vessels under the Nigerian flag.

He added that strengthening the Cabotage regime remained central to the Federal Government’s efforts to build indigenous shipping capacity and ensure that Nigerian companies and professionals occupy a greater share of opportunities in the country’s maritime and offshore sectors.

For the Chief Executive Officer of Marine Platforms Limited, Mr. Taofeek Adegbite, the company’s experience demonstrates the impact that the Cabotage regime and Nigerian Content legislation can have on indigenous shipping companies.

Adegbite said Marine Platforms had benefited significantly from the policy since acquiring its first vessel, Mt. African Vision, in 2012.

He said the company was proud to operate its vessels under the Nigerian flag and encouraged other Nigerian shipowners to embrace the Nigerian Ship Registry.

“Since 2012, when we got our very first vessel, ‘Mt. African Vision’, we are happy and proud to say NIMASA’s Cabotage Regime and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board Act has played a major role in ensuring that our vessels have contracts on a regular basis.

“We have no regret flying the Nigerian flag and I will invite more ship owners to register their flags in the Nigerian Ship Registry.”

Adegbite, however, called for greater attention to the classification and certification of crews operating large and highly specialised vessels.

“At the moment, we would appreciate a classification in such a way that the crew who are operating very big vessels are given special attention so that more very large vessels can fly the Nigerian flag,” he said.

He commended NIMASA for its support, stressing that the African Pioneer Lagos demonstrated that Nigerian companies and maritime professionals possess the technical capacity to operate sophisticated vessels to international standards.

According to him, the continued development of Nigerian-flagged vessels would also create greater opportunities for indigenous maritime manpower and professional development.

Adegbite said Nigeria could learn from countries that had successfully developed specialised niches within the global maritime industry.

He cited the Philippines, which has established a strong global reputation in seafaring, and Norway, renowned for shipbuilding, arguing that Nigeria could equally develop a globally recognised area of maritime specialisation.

He stressed that sustained government policies, effective implementation of the Cabotage regime, access to finance, appropriate regulation and development of maritime manpower would be essential to achieving that objective.