Quay Berth Deterioration and its Consequences for Cargo-Handling Efficiency, Financial Performance, and Regional Socio-Economic Outcomes in Eastern Nigerian Ports

Abstract

Quay berths are strategic maritime assets whose functionality depends on both structural integrity and the adequacy of maintenance regimes and cargo-handling equipment sustaining daily port operations. This study assessed maintenance practices and equipment availability in sustaining quay berth performance across Eastern Nigerian ports, anchored on the Resource-Based View, which treats quay berths and equipment as strategic resources requiring active maintenance, renewal, and capability development to retain value. A cross-sectional survey was conducted across four purposively selected Niger Delta ports — Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar, and Warri. Using the Taro Yamane formula, a minimum sample of 368 was derived from a population of 4,573 port engineers, maintenance personnel, terminal operators, dockworkers, and Nigerian Ports Authority staff; this was rounded to 400 to allow for non-response, with 399 questionnaires (99.75%) retrieved and analysed. Maintenance frequency, equipment adequacy, and operational effectiveness were summarised using frequency and percentage analysis. A one-way ANOVA compared perceived adequacy across the four ports, while multiple regression on a complementary port-operational panel (2016–2025, N = 40 port-years) tested whether maintenance and equipment availability predict objective quay berth performance. Findings indicated that the maintenance carried out was mostly reactive (M = 3.32) rather than preventive (M = 2.08). In addition, there was inadequate budget allocation for maintenance (M = 2.34) and slow response to structural defects (M = 2.21). The problem of adequacy of equipment was also grossly reported (grand mean = 2.54) due to breakdowns, lack of spare parts, delayed replacements, and insufficient capacities. Differences in perceptions were significant among the ports, F (3, 395) = 7.256, p < .001. The regression model revealed that maintenance practices and equipment availability predicted objective performance, R 2 = .61, F (2, 37) = 28.42, p < .001, with the former being a better predictor. The study concludes that reactive maintenance culture and equipment obsolescence jointly undermine quay berth sustainability in Eastern Nigeria, recommending preventive/ predictive maintenance, dedicated financing, and continuous equipment modernisation.