Terminals invests to boost trade opportunities

APM Terminals and Barging Marine Solutions Ltd have signed an exclusive lease agreement to expand services in and around Apapa port corridor, underlining the terminal operator’s long-term commitment to develop Nigerian trade opportunities.

 The objective of the agreement is leveraging the close collaboration between the two parties to increase capacity and to provide enhanced landside and barge connections to benefit both customers and shipping lines.

The Chief Executive Officer of the APM Terminals, Keith Svendsen said, while signing the agreement that, “the Nigerian market has shown solid growth throughout 2025 and APM Terminals strongly believes in the development of the market in the years ahead.”

Therefore, “it is important that we take the necessary steps to develop and realise the potential of the terminal, while also looking at the future potential to invest and modernise further in Lagos. Barging Marine Solutions have been running a resilient business, and we look forward to developing the synergies we see by entering this collaboration.

This important collaboration with APM Terminals, he added, “ builds on the strong existing business that we have together and will provide enhanced logistics solutions for APM Terminals’customers and shipping lines by leveraging BMS’s barging and terminal operations for additional capacity and reliable delivery,” says Karim Said, CEO Barging Marine Solutions Ltd.

The facilities include two waterfront and inland container terminals as well as barge services that will offer an alternative to road transportation and thereby easing the pressure on road-side transport via trucking, reducing traffic congestion, and reducing logistics-related costs.

“We believe that the improved barge services as well as Barging Marine Solutions’ position as market leader within inland container depots has the ability to improve both reliability and speed for our customers as well as optimising our coordination across the supply chain, which will give a more seamless customer experience,” says Frederik Klinke, MD, APM Terminals Nigeria.

Barging Marine Solutions Ltd will under the agreement, operate the services for APM Terminals and the companies will jointly develop solutions to add value for customers.

In its terminals in Apapa, Kano and Onne, APM Terminals lifts about half of Nigeria’s containerised trade and provide direct and indirect employment to more than 10,000 Nigerian families. A recent USD 115 million upgrade and expansion project in the West African Container Terminal (Onne) demonstrates its commitment to growth, providing safe, reliable and cost-effective customer solutions and are ready to invest further in the country to develop improved multimodal options, enhanced quayside efficiencies and the right solutions to support our customers. As part of APM Terminals, its network of more than 60 terminals connects all regions and serve all shipping lines around the globe.

Barging Marine Solutions Ltd has been operating in Nigeria since 2019, providing industry leading barging and terminal solutions to its customers. It operates waterside terminals in Abule Oshun and Agbara and inland container depots in Abule Oshun where it offers Bonded Terminal Services with clearing for both Apapa and Tincan cargo. Its fleet of barges moves in the Lagos waterways providing container transportation to port terminals and avoiding further congesting of Apapa roads. The company said it is committed to providing customer-centric logistics solutions by leveraging the Lagos waterways.