Routing the load…
Ocean · West Africa · FCL / break-bulk
Houston, TX
→ Lagos, Nigeria
Gulf-to-West-Africa ocean freight — Houston to Lagos (Tin Can Island / Apapa), the lane most US brokers won't quote.
Mode
Ocean
Equipment
FCL / break-bulk / RoRo
Transit
24–32 days
How this lane runs
Houston → Lagos.
Houston to Lagos is the West Africa lane most US brokers route around. Lagos has a reputation for congestion, and the documentation is unforgiving — but it's a lane we run on purpose rather than avoid. Tin Can Island and Apapa are the two terminals; we route to whichever fits the cargo and the timing.
The lane runs FCL for containerized cargo, break-bulk for project equipment that won't containerize, and RoRo for wheeled equipment. Documentation precision is what separates a clean clear from weeks of demurrage — we prepare it correctly before the cargo sails, not after it lands.
We coordinate the full chain: inland trucking from the US origin to the Gulf port, the ocean leg, and a named clearing agent at Lagos for the destination side.
Frequently asked
Houston → Lagos questions.
How long is ocean transit from Houston to Lagos?
Typically 24–32 days port to port depending on the service and any transshipment. Total door-to-door is longer once you add US inland trucking to the Gulf port and destination clearance + inland delivery in Nigeria.
Why do most brokers avoid the Lagos lane?
Lagos congestion and strict documentation requirements make it a lane where a 'we'll figure it out' approach turns into demurrage and customs charges. We run it deliberately — preparing documentation correctly upfront and working with named clearing agents at destination.
Service for this lane
Industries on this lane
Got a Houston, TX load?
Quote this lane.
Line by line, no TBDs.
Ocean · FCL / break-bulk / RoRo · 24–32 days. A named coordinator quotes it the same day.