By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH Import Surge to Boost Supply Chains NIGERIA’S major seaports are gearing up for a significant influx of import traffic at the start of the year, with no fewer than 41 ships laden with petroleum products, foodstuffs and assorted cargoes expected to dock at the Apapa, Tin-Can Island and Lekki Deep Sea […]
Unlocking Nigeria’s Maritime Potential – Lessons from Lekki and Beyond Lekki Leads, Others LagTHE Lekki Deep Seaport, Nigeria’s marquee maritime project, stands as a rare success story amid widespread stagnation. While operational, it functions at just 20% of capacity. Across the country, seven other proposed deep-sea ports, including Badagry, Ibom, and Bonny, remain uncompleted due […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH THE Lagos Police Command, through its Nigeria Port Authority unit, has announced heightened security across all major ports and maritime corridors in the state ahead of the yuletide festivities. The command said its operatives are fully prepared to maintain law and order on land and sea as activities increase during the […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH Nigeria Expands Hydrographic Coverage in Eastern Waters MARITIME traffic bound for Calabar Port and the proposed Bakassi Deep Seaport will now benefit from enhanced digital navigation following the release of newly validated Nigerian Electronic Nautical Charts. The charts mark a significant upgrade in the safety architecture of Nigeria’s eastern maritime approaches. […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH NIGERIA’S indigenous shipping fleet is edging toward collapse as the long-delayed Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF)—now estimated at more than $350 million—remains undisbursed despite repeated government assurances. Stakeholders say the fund, created in 2003 to finance vessel acquisition, has stagnated for nearly two decades while the fleet has shrunk from 24 […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH FOUR passengers abducted by suspected sea pirates along the Nigeria–Cameroon waterways have been rescued unharmed by the Nigerian Army, security sources confirmed. The victims — Ebuka Clinton, Alice David Albino, Usin Divine, and another passenger — were kidnapped on 2 December 2025 while travelling by speed boat from Ikang Beach in […]
By ESTHER McWILLIS-IKHIDE THE Nigerian Navy has destroyed five illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta as part of intensified operations against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism. The action was carried out by personnel of the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Escravos during a series of coordinated raids in November. Commanding Officer, Navy Captain Ikenna […]
By ESTHER McWILLIS-IKHIDE NIGERIA’S gas industry continues to power the nation’s foreign earnings, generating $10.01 billion from 13.53 million metric tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the first nine months of 2025. The exports reached markets across Europe, Asia, and beyond, including Spain, France, Portugal, The Netherlands, Kuwait, South Korea, Pakistan, Jamaica, The Philippines, […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH IN Ibaka, Akwa Ibom State, the sea used to be kind. That’s how James Nana, a Ghanaian fisherman who arrived in Nigeria in 1992, remembers it. “You could sail anytime, return with fish, and sleep well,” he says. “No pirates, no fear.” Back then, fish were plentiful and danger was […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH ON the shimmering waters of Ibaka, one of Nigeria’s largest fishing towns, the sea no longer promises livelihood — it threatens survival. For men like Ita James, fishing was once a proud inheritance, a trade that fed families and sustained entire communities. Now, each voyage feels like a gamble with […]