Port Gridlock: NAGAFF accuses Shipping Lines of delaying empty containers, charging detention fees
Maureen Aguta
The worsening congestion on the Lagos port corridors has come under fresh scrutiny, with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) accusing shipping lines of aggravating the crisis by delaying the return of empty containers.
NAGAFF alleged that some shipping lines were refusing to receive empty containers promptly after importers had taken delivery of their cargo, leaving haulage trucks stranded for days and, in some cases, weeks.
The association warned that the practice was effectively turning haulage trucks into makeshift container holding bays and choking the already congested port access corridors, while freight forwarders and importers are made to bear the cost through detention charges.
In a letter dated August 6, 2026, and signed by Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Coordinator, 100 per cent Compliance Team of NAGAFF, the association accused shipping lines of creating a bottleneck in the empty-container evacuation chain.
NAGAFF said the problem begins after import containers are delivered to their consignees, when haulage operators attempt to return the empty boxes to the shipping lines.
According to the association, some shipping lines allegedly lack adequate facilities to receive the empties or deliberately wait for the arrival of their vessels before accepting them.
The consequence, it said, is that trucks remain immobilised while waiting for shipping lines to receive containers, denying transporters the opportunity to undertake other jobs and adding more trucks to already congested port corridors.
“This practice is unacceptable because it unlawfully ties down trucks for days or even weeks, preventing transporters from taking on other jobs and causing avoidable financial losses,” NAGAFF said.
The association contended that the problem goes beyond the financial losses suffered by individual transporters, arguing that the delayed return of empty containers has become a major contributor to traffic gridlock around the ports.
With trucks unable to complete their delivery cycles, NAGAFF said, more vehicles are effectively trapped within the port logistics chain, worsening congestion on the access roads and increasing pressure on available truck parks and holding facilities.
The development has also raised concerns over the wider implications for port efficiency, cargo evacuation and the ease of doing business, particularly at a time when stakeholders are seeking to reduce turnaround time and improve the competitiveness of Nigerian ports.
NAGAFF further described the continued imposition of detention charges under such circumstances as unfair, particularly where the inability to return the containers is allegedly caused by the shipping lines themselves.
“It is fundamentally unjust for a shipping line to refuse to receive its empty container while simultaneously charging customers for failing to return that same container. No person or organisation should profit from a delay that it deliberately creates,” the association stated.
The freight forwarders’ body therefore demanded that shipping lines provide adequate holding bays and receiving facilities for empty containers to ensure their prompt evacuation from importers’ premises and the port corridors.
It also called for the immediate suspension of detention charges imposed on customers affected by the delays, as well as refunds of charges already collected where the delay in returning the containers was attributable to the shipping lines.
NAGAFF warned that continued failure to address the problem could force the association to pursue all lawful measures available to protect freight forwarders, importers and haulage operators.
“Should this unfair practice continue, NAGAFF will have no option but to pursue every lawful means available to protect the interests of freight forwarders and Nigerian importers,” it warned.
The association urged shipping lines, the Nigeria Shippers’ Council and the Nigeria Ports Authority to urgently intervene in the empty-container return chain before the situation further deteriorates.
It said an efficient empty-container management system was essential to decongesting the Lagos port corridors, reducing truck turnaround time and lowering logistics costs for importers and other port users.
NAGAFF maintained that the current arrangement, in which trucks allegedly remain stranded while shipping lines delay acceptance of empty containers, was unsustainable and counterproductive to the Federal Government’s efforts to improve port efficiency and facilitate trade.
The letter was copied to the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council, Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Commissioner of Police, Port, Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), port managers, Founder of NAGAFF and the National President of the association.