Nigeria risks losing international shipping traffic unless its ports urgently embrace green compliance measures, the National Association of Stevedoring Operators has warned.

NASO president Bolaji Sunmola gave the warning on Thursday during the 2026 Dockworkers’ Day celebration in Lagos. Mr Sunmola said the global maritime industry had reached a regulatory turning point that Nigeria could no longer afford to ignore.

He noted that compliance deadlines would determine which ports remained competitive and which lost patronage from international shipping lines. According to him, the International Maritime Organisation’s revised greenhouse gas strategy requires at least a 20 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030.

He added that the strategy also targets net-zero emissions by 2050, making green compliance an operational necessity for Nigerian ports.

“Green compliance is now an operational necessity for every Nigerian port and stevedoring company,” he said.

Mr Sunmola stressed that Nigeria’s transition strategy must reflect local realities, including power infrastructure deficits and persistent port congestion. He also cited the country’s abundant natural gas resources and labour-intensive port operations as factors requiring practical solutions.

The NASO president argued that operational efficiency remains the most effective green initiative currently available to the industry. He said such measures required neither imported technology nor fresh capital investment to deliver environmental benefits.

“When stevedores reduce cargo dwell times, cut vessel anchorage waits and minimise truck idling at gates, emissions drop. The carbon never emitted remains the greenest of all,” he said.

Mr Sunmola reaffirmed NASO’s support for digital reforms aimed at improving port efficiency and sustainability. He specifically highlighted the Eto Electronic Call-Up System, the National Single Window, and the Port Community System initiatives.

According to him, dockworkers, stevedores and terminal operators are central to the successful implementation of those reforms. He warned that emissions from cargo-handling equipment remained a significant challenge across Nigerian ports.

Mr Sunmola noted that cranes, forklifts, terminal tractors and other machinery contributed substantially to port-related emissions. He said NASO was ready to collaborate with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.

The collaboration, he explained, would focus on developing a realistic equipment upgrade roadmap supported by accessible financing mechanisms. He identified the Green Climate Fund as one potential source of support for modernisation efforts.

Mr Sunmola urged the marine and blue economy minister and the Nigerian Ports Authority to embed binding green standards in port reforms. He said every new infrastructure investment should contain measurable environmental performance indicators.

(NAN)