Calabar, Warri Ports Struggle with Low Vessel Traffic in January 2025
As global trade resumes after the holiday season, maritime nations are preparing for a robust start to the year. However, the ports of Calabar and Warri in Nigeria are grappling with low commercial activity, as indicated by reports from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which show minimal vessel calls for January 2025.
The Port of Calabar welcomed its first vessel of the year, CAPT EUGENE, a 15-year-old Panama-flagged bulk carrier (IMO 9478767), on January 2. The next day, a 47-year-old Nigerian-flagged passenger/roll-on roll-off vessel, KVINNHERAD (IMO 7704681), berthed at the port. The last vessel to call at Calabar so far was the ST LADY MEENAH, an 18-year-old Marshall Islands-flagged oil products tanker (IMO 9344100), which arrived on January 5.
At the Port of Warri, the first vessel of 2025 arrived on January 1, the MT MATRIX S.ILU, a 22-year-old Nigerian-flagged chemical/oil products tanker (IMO 9239654), accompanied by the COASTAL ATLAS, a 14-year-old Curacao-flagged utility vessel (IMO 9569346).
Warri’s subsequent vessel traffic included the SEA DIAMOND 1, a Panama-flagged bulk carrier (IMO 9364825) that arrived on January 2, and the MATRIX TRIUMPH, a 22-year-old Nigerian-flagged chemical/oil products tanker (IMO 9251286), on January 3. The most recent arrival was the GAS HUSKY, a 13-year-old Liberia-flagged LPG tanker (IMO 9507764), which berthed on January 7.
Looking ahead, both ports anticipate only one more vessel call each for the remainder of the month. Calabar is expecting the general cargo ship PANTHERA J on January 31, while Warri is set to receive the MT MATRIX S.ILU again on January 24.
These low numbers place Calabar and Warri as the fifth and fourth busiest ports in Nigeria, respectively, in terms of vessel traffic.
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