Nigeria's Tin Can Island and Apapa ports are among the top 15 globally for improvement in vessel time between 2020 and 2025, according to the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index (CPPI). The index, based on data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, measures the total time ships spend from arrival at port limits to departure from the berth. Tin Can Island improved its CPPI score by 42 points, rising from -68 in 2020 to -25.8 in 2025, while Apapa gained 35 points, moving from -61 to -26.4 over the same period. Globally, Apapa ranked 320 and Tin Can 318.
The World Bank report attributes longer vessel times at Nigerian and other Sub-Saharan African ports to import-heavy trade structures and capacity constraints. Bertrand De la Borde, group director for transport and logistics at the World Bank, and Guy Sear, vice president and head of maritime at S&P Global, co-authored the foreword, stating that prolonged vessel time contributes to supply chain stress by tying up vessel capacity and spreading delays. High-performing ports, the report notes, maintain operational discipline, align incentives among stakeholders, and share real-time data on arrivals, berths, and yard conditions.
Jonathan Nicol, president of the Shippers' Association Lagos State, credited regulatory oversight by the Shippers Council for faster clearances, with cargo discharge processes shrinking from up to a week to one or two days. He acknowledged that reduced vessel calls might also have played a role. Nigeria's Onne port maintained a positive rating over the five years except in 2024, when its score dropped to -25, and ranks 84 globally—higher than Lekki deep seaport at 353. Nicol noted the CPPI does not reflect terminal congestion caused by empty containers left behind by shipping lines. In 2025, the Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) estimated 100,000 abandoned empty containers were clogging Nigerian ports and roads.
The same ports now praised for faster vessel turnaround still drown in 100,000 idle containers shipping firms refuse to retrieve. Regulators may have sped up clearances, but carriers continue shifting the cost of their abandoned cargo to Nigerian terminals. This creates a false image of progress while terminal space remains artificially constrained by foreign operators' neglect. The improvement in scores does not erase the fact that port efficiency is being undermined by unchecked private sector dumping.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
