Dynamar’s latest West Africa Container Trades report highlights a significant evolution in the region’s container shipping landscape, with growing capacity, larger vessels, and a maturing hub-and-spoke network reshaping trade flows.
Since 2012, West Africa has developed into a more structured and efficient system, supported by the rollout of modern container terminals capable of handling larger ships.
This shift is reflected in carrier deployment strategies, most notably by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has routed its Tiger service via West African ports using vessels exceeding 24,000 TEUs, signalling confidence in the region’s infrastructure and operational capability.
Nigeria has returned to the top position in terms of annual trade capacity, driven by infrastructure developments and increased carrier activity.
The commissioning of Lekki Port in 2023 has helped ease congestion in Lagos, while additional investment in eastern Nigerian ports has strengthened overall capacity and improved network balance.
As a result, carriers have increased capacity deployed into the country for a second consecutive reporting period.
Across the region, vessel sizes have increased markedly. A decade ago, ships of around 3,500 TEUs were deployed on deep-sea West Africa trades, but today vessels exceeding 10,000 TEUs are routinely handled.
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The carrier landscape is becoming increasingly concentrated. While 21 shipping lines operate direct services into West Africa, more than 80 per cent of total capacity is controlled by four major carriers.
MSC has emerged as the leading carrier by annual trade capacity, overtaking Maersk following network rationalisation and expanded service deployment, with Maersk remaining the second-largest operator, accounting for more than one-fifth of total capacity.
Trade patterns are also shifting. Container flows are increasingly oriented towards Asia and the Middle East/Indian Subcontinent, now the dominant intercontinental routes for the region.
At the same time, the role of Mediterranean transhipment hubs is under pressure as improved port capabilities enable more direct services into West Africa, particularly for destinations in the Gulf of Guinea.
Looking ahead, further changes are likely. A stabilisation of conditions in the Red Sea could release additional vessel capacity back into the market, and West Africa’s ability to handle larger ships positions it to absorb some of this capacity.
As infrastructure and connectivity continue to improve, the region is becoming a more prominent and capable player in global container shipping networks.
