APM Terminals Apapa is stepping up efforts to ease persistent bottlenecks in the country’s export logistics chain, targeting a significant increase in rail evacuation and introducing round-the-clock barge operations in Q4 2026.
The initiatives were disclosed at the third edition of the APM Terminals Apapa Exporters Forum, themed “Exports – Voice of Customers Forum,” which brought together exporters, shipping lines, logistics operators, regulators, industry stakeholders and academia to identify challenges across Nigeria’s export supply chain and develop practical solutions.
At the forum, the company’s Head of Commercial, Kayode Olufemi-Daniel, said that the terminal was taking a collaborative approach to improving export logistics by focusing on the root causes of delays and working with stakeholders on practical solutions.
He explained: “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.
“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. We now have additional barging capacity which will be operated on our Finger Jetty.”
He noted that the terminal was equally strengthening communication with shipping lines, exporters, importers and regulatory agencies to improve cargo visibility and streamline operations.
He added: “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. 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.”
Also, its Key Client Manager, Adesoji Olaniyan, said that the company had set an ambitious target of moving 60 per cent of its export containers by rail, stressing that 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.
According to him, each location currently records about three weekly rail calls, depending on demand, while each train has a capacity of approximately 60 TEUs.
Olaniyan said that 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.
The 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.
Idika added: “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.”
Ojadi urged the company to extend the initiative beyond Lagos to major commercial and export-producing centres such as Kano and Port Harcourt.
Also, 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.
