The strategic importance of Nigeria’s eastern maritime corridor came into sharper focus in 2025 as the Calabar and Port Harcourt ports continued to serve as critical gateways for regional trade, oil and gas logistics, and cargo distribution. Though overshadowed for years by the Lagos ports, both facilities remain vital to the Federal Government’s maritime revenue drive and the economic development of the South-South and South-East regions.
The Calabar Port Complex, located in Cross River State, traces its origin to the colonial trading era when it served as a commercial link between Eastern Nigeria and international merchants. The Federal Government officially took over the port in December 1969 before embarking on a major modernization project under the Third National Development Plan between 1975 and 1980. The new Calabar Port Complex was commissioned on June 9, 1979. The facility today comprises the Old Port, New Port and Dockyard, while also supervising several oil terminals and jetties linked to the petroleum industry.
Activities at the Calabar Port revolve around cargo handling, oil and gas support services, marine operations, export and import processing, vessel berthing and logistics operations. Terminal operators such as ECM Terminal Ltd, INTELS Nigeria Ltd and Shoreline Logistics Nigeria Limited currently manage major operational sections of the port. Despite recurring concerns over shallow draft challenges and low container traffic, the port remains active in petroleum-related operations and regional trade facilitation.
Port Harcourt Port, officially known as Rivers Port Complex, was established in 1913 along the Bonny River and became one of Nigeria’s earliest modern seaports. Over the decades, it evolved into a major logistics and shipping hub supporting oil servicing companies, manufacturing firms, agricultural exports and containerized imports. The port’s proximity to Nigeria’s oil-producing belt has continued to make it strategically important to the nation’s energy and maritime economy.
In 2025, activities at the Port Harcourt Port expanded significantly, particularly in customs revenue generation and cargo throughput. Data from the Nigeria Customs Service showed that the Port Harcourt Area I Command generated about ₦247.46 billion between January and October 2025, surpassing its annual target of ₦216 billion before the end of the year. The command recorded a historic monthly collection of ₦33.75 billion in October 2025 alone, reflecting improved port efficiency and stronger trade activities.
On revenue generation and remittances, publicly available records as of December 31, 2025, did not provide a separate official breakdown for Calabar Port and Port Harcourt Port individually under the Nigerian Ports Authority structure. However, the Nigerian Ports Authority disclosed that it generated about ₦894.86 billion in 2024 and projected ₦1.279 trillion revenue for 2025. The Authority also confirmed that it remitted ₦400 billion into the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government in 2024, nearly double the previous year’s remittance.
Maritime analysts believe that while Lagos ports still dominate national shipping activities, the continued modernization and operational improvement of eastern ports such as Calabar and Port Harcourt could significantly reduce congestion in Lagos and stimulate economic growth across the Niger Delta and South-East regions. Industry observers also argue that deeper channel dredging, improved rail connectivity and stronger security architecture will further increase cargo traffic and federal revenue earnings from the two ports.
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