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Lagos port congestion: how it affects your shipments and 5 ways to cope
Why Lagos's Apapa and Tin Can ports are chronically congested, how the 2025 clearance system changeover affected shipments, and what shippers and consignees can do to prepare.
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Lagos port congestion comes from growing cargo volumes, limited port roads and yard capacity, a backlog of empty containers, and system failures during the clearance system changeover. To cope: prepare documents early, consider ports such as Lekki, leave a time buffer, confirm the free container period, and choose a clearing party with container pickup capacity on the ground.
Information updated: 2026-10-03
Where the congestion comes from
- Growing imports: Nigeria's imports from China reached a record high in 2025.
- Port roads and yards: trucks queuing in and out of the port is a long-standing problem.
- Empty container backlog: lines prioritise unloading full import containers, and slow repositioning of empties takes up yard space.
- System changeover: while customs rolled out the B'Odogwu clearance system, reports said system failures affected payments, documents and release, leaving large numbers of containers stuck.
5 ways to cope
- Finish document preparation before arrival and file as early as possible to cut time in port.
- Consider Lekki Deep Sea Port: it can berth larger ships and some routes are less congested, but confirm the inland transport cost.
- Build a buffer into transit times: allow an extra one to two weeks in peak season and during policy changes.
- Confirm the free container period when booking, and request an extension if needed.
- Choose a clearing party with its own team and container pickup resources in Lagos, who can deal with exceptions on site.