Liberia, Nov. 10 -- Nine years ago, a World Bank study warned that West Africa's container traffic would nearly triple by 2025 and that existing ports could not cope. Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Benin and Senegal responded by building new terminals and quays. Liberia added no new terminal. Today, ships wait offshore for weeks, cargo is diverted to neighboring ports, and Liberian traders say their capital has been trapped in containers for up to seven months.

MONROVIA - From the beaches of Liberia's capital, the crisis is plain to see. Cargo ships sit at anchor on the horizon, waiting for a berth at the Freeport of Monrovia, the country's main gateway for food, fuel, building materials and consumer goods.

By Rodney D. Sieh

On Tuesday, ...