Published: November 6, 2026
MONROVIA — APM Terminals Liberia is expanding capacity at the Freeport of Monrovia and has secured a direct Maersk service, making Monrovia the first port of call from January 2027. The company, which operates the terminal, says the changes respond to congestion and shipping delays that are hurting importers, the business community and consumers.
Working with the National Port Authority and other port stakeholders, the company is taking steps to add terminal capacity right away, speed up container movement, and improve cargo flow through Liberia’s main trade gateway.
“We acknowledge the congestion at the port and the impact it is having on our customers and businesses in Liberia. Our immediate focus is on improving the areas within our responsibility, particularly terminal capacity and the movement of containers through and out of the port,” said Rachid Baho, managing director of APM Terminals Liberia.
To make room for new arrivals, the company is moving hundreds of long-standing import containers out of the full import area to another part of the port. It is also taking down buildings inside the terminal to turn the space into container stacking areas and developing yard space that is currently unpaved. Some of these measures will take effect within a week, the company said, while others will add capacity over the coming months.
The direct service is meant to address delays that start before cargo reaches Liberia. Much of Liberia’s container cargo connects through major West African transshipment hubs, which the company said are under similar pressure, with vessels waiting to berth. Congestion at those hubs can lead to missed connections, cargo buildup, and disrupted vessel schedules. Reports before the Legislature have referred to containers spending more than 30 days at sea before berthing in Monrovia.
To reduce that exposure, APM Terminals said it works with shipping lines and has confirmed a new direct service with A.P. Moller-Maersk.
“It will be a significant improvement for Monrovia that from January 2027, APM Terminals Liberia and Maersk has joined forces to make Monrovia the first port call for the W5A-service. This will allow Liberia-bound cargo on the service to be discharged directly in Monrovia rather than being transshipped through Abidjan. I believe this will improve reliability and reduce the risk of delays happening elsewhere in the system,” Baho said.
The company is also adding equipment. It has invested US$15 million in new container handling equipment so far, including reach stackers, and has committed to more. Arriving in the new year are a third mobile harbor crane, three reach stackers, two empty container handlers, five terminal trucks and two spreaders. Along with the new stacking areas and additional yard space, the company said, this equipment will give the terminal more operating room as Liberia’s container volumes grow.
“We have already committed to further investments than the ones already implemented this year, for instance in a third mobile harbor crane and additional terminal equipment to arrive in the new year. And we have a clear interest in always keeping the flow in the terminal fluent,” Baho said.
That growth has been rapid. Liberia’s container trade is approaching 200,000 TEU a year, the company said, about 30 percent growth in two years. APM Terminals Liberia called the growth positive for the economy but said every link in the supply chain must keep pace with the volumes to avoid bottlenecks.
The National Port Authority has publicly acknowledged the growing pressure on the Freeport as more and larger vessels serve Liberia, and it has announced plans to dredge the port and expand its capacity. APM Terminals said that moving containers out of the terminal quickly after discharge is just as important to restoring a steady flow of cargo.
Containers take up yard space until they are cleared and collected. If imports leave the terminal more slowly than new containers arrive, congestion builds and space runs out. The company estimates that at least 250 import containers need to leave the terminal each day to keep cargo flowing, but importers collect only about 170 a day on average.
Dwell time, the time a container stays in the terminal, has risen from seven to eight days in 2025 to 15 to 16 days in 2026. The company said this has effectively cut the Freeport’s storage capacity by almost half.
Baho compared the terminal to a parking garage that keeps filling with cars no one comes to collect: “You will end up with no empty spaces left, and new drivers coming will have to wait outside. We must solve the underlying issues together for the long term.”
He said lasting solutions will require every party in the port system to act.
“Sustainable improvement requires coordinated action across the entire port community to solve the problem with containers not getting out of the terminal fast enough to create space for new cargo coming in,” Baho said.
The company said every point in a container’s journey matters: vessel scheduling, terminal handling, customs and inspection, documentation, trucking, and timely collection by importers. It said it will keep working on the immediate situation with the Government of Liberia, the National Port Authority, Liberia Revenue Authority Customs, shipping lines, customs brokers, truckers, consignees and others in the port community.
Beyond the immediate congestion, the company said the longer-term priority is making sure the Freeport has the marine infrastructure, terminal capacity, equipment and processes that Liberia’s future trade will require. It described the direct service, the new equipment, the expanded terminal capacity and the National Port Authority’s wider infrastructure plans as complementary steps toward a more reliable and resilient gateway.
APM Terminals Liberia said it remains committed to working with the government through the National Port Authority, with customers and with the wider port community to strengthen the Freeport of Monrovia as Liberia’s main gateway to international trade.
Discussion about this post