The African Maritime Council has raised concerns over the growing loss of maritime revenue from West Africa and employment opportunities abroad despite the huge maritime trade activities on the Gulf of Guinea, which remains one of Africa's busiest maritime corridors.
Scale of Maritime Activity
According to the Council's report, despite the scale of maritime activity with over 1,200 vessels operating across offshore support services, tanker operations, regional cargo trade and fishing activities, the region lacks sufficient dry-docking and ship repair facilities to service the growing fleet.
Dry Docking Requirements
The council explained that all commercial vessels are required to undergo dry docking every two to five years for mandatory regulatory inspections and maintenance, but existing shipyard infrastructure across the Gulf of Guinea can only accommodate an estimated 100 to 150 vessels yearly.
As a result, operators are increasingly compelled to send vessels to foreign shipyards in destinations such as South Africa, Senegal, the Canary Islands, the Middle East and Asia for repairs and maintenance services.
Cost of Dry Docking
Given the services and charges, the council explained that dry-docking costs vary depending on vessel size and category. Offshore support vessels typically incur repair bills ranging between $400,000 and $900,000 per docking, while medium-sized tankers and cargo ships can cost between $700,000 and $1.5 million, with large tankers requiring repair expenditures exceeding $2 million per docking exercise.
Additional Services
The Council stated that ship repair activities extend beyond docking operations and include engineering services, steel fabrication, hull cleaning, structural repairs, marine coatings, inspections, towage and port services — all of which generate high-value industrial activity around shipyards.
Maritime Capital Flight
The council warned that because these services are largely executed outside the region, engineering jobs, fabrication work, shipyard revenues and industrial expertise are being transferred to foreign economies instead of supporting local growth. The council described the trend as a major source of "maritime capital flight," noting that the movement of vessels abroad for maintenance also transfers associated industrial activities, technical expertise and employment opportunities out of West Africa.
"The Gulf of Guinea operates hundreds of vessels but lacks the shipyard infrastructure needed to service them locally," the council stated.
Call for Investment
The African Maritime Council emphasised the urgent need for increased investment in maritime industrial facilities across West Africa, warning that the continued reliance on foreign shipyards weakens the region's ability to build long-term maritime industrial capacity despite the significant volume of vessels operating within West African waters.
The council argued that expanding local ship repair and dry-docking infrastructure would help retain maritime revenue within the region, create employment opportunities, strengthen indigenous technical capacity and support broader economic development.
