Maersk Places Apapa and Onne at Centre of Revamped Europe and West Africa Network
Maersk has restructured its services between Europe and West Africa from October 2026, with Nigeria's Apapa and Onne ports linked to Europe through new rotations and transshipment arrangements.
lobal shipping line Maersk has overhauled its network between Europe and West Africa from October 2026, placing Nigeria's Apapa and Onne ports at the heart of revised services connecting Europe with West and Central Africa.
Under the new structure, Apapa is served directly on two services. The WAF 3 rotation links Port Said, Algeciras and Tangier with Lomé, Abidjan, Tema and Apapa, with a focus on exports from West Africa, while WAF 6 connects Port Said, Tangier and Algeciras with Tema, Apapa and Pointe-Noire.
Onne, near Port Harcourt, is connected through the WAF 5 service, which links the eastern Nigerian port with Abidjan and Takoradi, giving shippers access to Maersk's wider network through transshipment at Abidjan.
The revised network is built around four principal transshipment hubs at Abidjan, Lomé, Pointe-Noire and Tema, which will connect European cargo to destinations across West and Central Africa.
Maersk has also introduced dedicated links to smaller markets, including Monrovia in Liberia on WAF 5X and Freetown in Sierra Leone on WAF 7X, alongside services to Dakar, Conakry, Banjul, Nouakchott and Nouadhibou via Tangier and Algeciras.
The carrier said the reorganisation is aimed at strengthening connectivity and improving schedule reliability for shippers moving cargo between Europe and the region.
The changes come as Nigeria pushes to spread cargo traffic beyond Lagos, after the Federal Government approved the modernisation of Onne, Rivers, Delta and Calabar ports in September, positioning the eastern ports for a greater share of the country's container trade.
