APM Terminals: Maritime Sector Recorded 1,085% Export Surge in 2025

Eromosele Abiodun

The Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Frederik Klinke has said that Nigeria’s maritime sector is demonstrating remarkable resilience and momentum, with a dramatic surge in export volumes positioning the country as an emerging force in global trade.

Speaking at the opening of the Blue Economy Investment Summit in Abuja, Klinke highlighted a significant increase in export activity as evidence that Nigeria’s strategic reforms and investments are beginning to yield tangible results, even as the global maritime industry faces mounting uncertainty.

He noted that while international shipping continues to grapple with disruptions driven by geopolitical tensions and shifting trade routes, Nigeria has maintained forward progress, particularly in its push to expand non-oil exports. According to data from the Nigerian Ports Authority’s third quarter 2025 report, export-laden container volumes surged by an extraordinary 1,085 per cent, underscoring the scale of transformation underway within the country’s trade ecosystem.

Klinke attributed this growth to deliberate policy measures and operational improvements aimed at enhancing efficiency and reducing bottlenecks. Chief among these is the rollout of the National Single Window, a centralised digital platform designed to streamline import and export processes. The initiative is expected to cut cargo clearance timelines dramatically, from several weeks to as little as 48 hours, thereby improving Nigeria’s competitiveness in global markets.

Despite persistent global challenges, including rising freight costs, longer shipping routes and increased insurance premiums, Klinke emphasised that Nigeria’s export expansion reflects a sector responding positively to reform. He warned, however, that without sustained intervention and coordination, external pressures could still undermine the country’s diversification agenda.

APM Terminals Nigeria, he said, has aligned its operations to support and capitalise on the upward trend in exports. The company has invested more than 600 million US dollars in its Nigerian terminals, focusing on efficiency, sustainability and infrastructure upgrades to facilitate smoother cargo movement.

He stressed that such measures are critical in sustaining the current momentum in export volumes, particularly at a time when trade patterns are rapidly evolving. With East–West Africa trade volumes having risen by more than 30 per cent in 2025, now the fastest-growing container trade corridor globally, Nigeria is well positioned to capture a larger share of this growth if it continues to strengthen its maritime infrastructure and logistics systems.

Klinke also underscored the importance of maintaining consistent regulatory reforms and advancing port modernisation to support export expansion.