Who Keeps Nigeria’s Port Channels Deep? What the New Lagos, Bonny, Warri and Calabar Channel Managers Mean for Ships and Cargo

Most people never think about the water a ship sails through to reach a Nigerian port. But that water decides how big a vessel can call, how much cargo it can carry, whether it waits for high tide, and sometimes whether it runs aground. Keeping it deep, marked and clear of wrecks is the job of a channel management company.

That job is about to change hands. According to Vanguard, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved four new channel management arrangements for the country’s main port clusters: Lagos, Bonny, Warri and Calabar. Here is what was announced, why it matters beyond the maritime community, and what shipping staff and cargo owners should watch.

What was announced

The news came from Capt. Ebubeogu Ihenacho, a former General Manager, Marine and Operations, speaking at the annual general meeting of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners. Vanguard reported on 22 October 2026 that:

• Lagos: a new company has been approved to manage the Lagos port channel, with a change of name. Vanguard said it could not independently confirm the new owners, but sources close to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said a Belgian company is expected to take over channel management in Lagos.
• Bonny (Rivers ports): the Bonny Channel Management Company has undergone a change of ownership.
• Warri (Escravos Channel): China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and two other companies will form a consortium, which will set up a special purpose vehicle with the NPA to manage the Escravos Channel.
• Calabar: the channel will be managed by the Calabar Channel Management Company.

The NPA had earlier declined to renew the existing Lagos and Bonny concessions and instead granted six-month extensions while the new arrangements were settled. Official names of the new Lagos and Bonny partners, start dates and contract terms have not yet been published, so treat those details as pending.

What a channel management company actually does

On its joint ventures page, the NPA describes the two current companies:

• Lagos Channel Management Company (LCM) manages the Lagos Pilotage District. It was incorporated in August 2005, with the NPA holding 60% and its partner, Depasa Marine International, holding 40%.
• Bonny Channel Company (BCC) was set up in August 2005, also with 60% NPA equity and 40% held by The Channel Management Company Limited.

Both have the same core duties: planning and carrying out maintenance and capital dredging, removing wrecks, maintaining aids to navigation such as buoys and lights, carrying out bathymetric surveys that measure channel depth, monitoring pollution and training NPA staff. In April 2026, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and the NPA ran a five-day review of LCM to verify its dredging work, set a performance baseline and check value for money. LCM’s mandate includes quarterly depth surveys of the Lagos channels.

Why channel depth reaches your freight bill

A ship’s draught is how deep its hull sits in the water. If a channel is shallow, a ship either cannot come in at all, or it must come in lighter, wait for high tide, or transfer cargo to smaller vessels offshore. Each of those adds cost and time, and someone eventually pays for it through freight rates, surcharges, demurrage or higher prices on the shelf.

The Eastern ports show what happens when channels silt up.

Warri and the Escravos Channel. BusinessDay has reported that the collapse of the Escravos breakwater caused heavy siltation that cut the channel’s draught from about 7 metres to 3 metres in some places, keeping big vessels away from Warri. In 2024, The Matrix reported a maximum high-tide draught of about 6.2 metres, ships running aground, channels blocked for up to 10 days while vessels were refloated, and seven fuel vessels carrying about 150 million litres of petrol held up in May that year. The Escravos route also serves petrol tankers and crude shuttle tankers, so its condition matters for fuel supply, not just general cargo.

Calabar. In August 2025, Converseer reported Calabar’s channel at 5.2 metres at low tide and 6.2 metres at high tide, after earlier dredging attempts failed. That is far too shallow for most modern container ships, which is why so much cargo for the South-South and South-East still comes through Lagos and then travels by road.

The money already committed

The channel management approvals build on spending decisions made earlier this year:

• On 29 June 2026, FEC approved about N286 billion of maritime projects, Ships & Ports reported. The largest item was N112.85 billion for capital and maintenance dredging of the Escravos Channel under a public-private partnership. The package also covered six pilot cutter boats (about N80.03 billion), two marine pollution control vessels (about N59.05 billion) and two firefighting boats (about N34.06 billion).
• In August 2026, the NPA confirmed that the reconstruction and dredging of the Escravos Channel at Warri had been awarded to China Harbour Engineering as part of its Eastern Ports modernisation programme.
• In July 2026, dredging began at Calabar, and the NPA board chairman, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, said President Tinubu had approved a Calabar Channel Management Company to carry out continuous dredging instead of one-off contracts.

The common thread is a move from occasional dredging contracts to permanent companies that are responsible for keeping each channel open year after year.

What it means for different readers

Shipping line and agency staff. Watch for notices to mariners and port circulars about new channel operators, survey results and any changes to draught limits or tidal windows. Changes in who runs a channel can also bring changes in how channel and pilotage charges are collected, so check the next invoices carefully.

Marine pilots, seafarers and port workers. New pilot cutter boats and better-maintained buoys and lights should make boarding and night transits safer. The handover period is when gaps in survey data or navigation aids are most likely, so report any unlit buoy or new shoal promptly.

Importers and exporters in the South-South and South-East. If Escravos and Calabar get deeper and stay that way, more direct ship calls at Warri, Koko and Calabar become possible. That could mean shorter road trips from Lagos, lower haulage bills and less exposure to Apapa traffic. It will not happen overnight. Ask your forwarder which lines are actually calling at the Eastern ports and at what draught before you switch routing.

General readers. Ports are only as useful as the water leading to them. Deeper, reliably maintained channels are one of the less visible ways Nigeria can lower the cost of imported goods and make its exports more competitive.

What to watch next

• The official names and terms of the new Lagos and Bonny channel managers, and the date they take over.
• Published target depths for Escravos and Calabar, and how long the work will take.
• Whether shipping lines announce new direct services to Warri or Calabar once depths improve.
• Any change to channel or pilotage fees passed on to ships and, in turn, to cargo owners.

Plan your routing with a team that tracks the ports

Port depth, tides and congestion all affect which port is cheapest and fastest for your cargo. Septmax Logistics helps importers and exporters choose the right port and route, handles customs clearance and arranges onward delivery across Nigeria. If you are weighing Lagos against the Eastern ports for your next shipment, talk to our team and we will help you compare the options.