Int’l Shipping Lines Blame NNSL Collapse, Shipbuilding Gap for Nigeria’s Weak Presence in Global Trade
The Chairman of the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) the body representing shipping lines, Mrs Boma Alabi, has said that Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and biggest trading nation, continues to record limited participation in international shipping.
Alabi made the disclosure in an interview in Lagos last week.
She said the decline of indigenous shipping remained one of the greatest setbacks to the maritime sector, following the collapse of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) and the loss of international routes.
According to her, the lack of shipbuilding capacity has worsened the challenge. She noted that Nigerdock, formerly Niger Dock, once the largest maritime industrial facility in West Africa, exemplified the nation’s ambition.
“Established by the Federal Government in 1986, the facility was created to provide shipbuilding, ship repair and marine engineering services to support Nigeria’s ambition to become a maritime powerhouse.
“For years, Niger Dock served as a major employer and training centre for skilled Nigerians in shipbuilding, welding, fabrication and marine engineering, supporting offshore oil and gas operations,” she said.
The SAN chairman said the dream gradually faded due to poor management, inadequate investment, a weak maintenance culture, the collapse of indigenous shipping and competition from foreign shipyards.
She said a major turning point came with privatisation in 2001 and acquisition by the Jagal Group in 2003, which marked a strategic transformation from traditional shipbuilding to logistics and port operations.
Alabi said Nigerdock today operates from the Snake Island Integrated Free Zone in Lagos as an integrated maritime and logistics hub, providing ship-repair, terminal management, logistics solutions and port development services.
She said that while the transformation demonstrates resilience and adaptation, it also highlights a broader national challenge, as Nigeria loses substantial revenue from freight services, vessel ownership and shipbuilding contracts.
According to her, a vibrant shipping and shipbuilding industry would create thousands of jobs, stimulate industrialisation, strengthen manufacturing and enhance Nigeria’s position within the growing blue economy.
