A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos will on Monday continue hearing in a case filled by the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) and the Association of Shipping Line Agencies (ASLA) against the had Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
STOAN and ASLA had separately sought the injunction of the Court restraining the NSC and/or its agents from implementing an order reversing storage charges at the nation’s seaports.
It would be recalled that the NSC had on Wednesday last week published a notice announcing the reversal of storage charges at the nation’s seaports to what it used to be as at 1st of May, 2009 and also ordered an increase in the free storage period at the ports from three to seven days.
The Council further directed the shipping companies to reduce their shipping lines’ agency charges from #26, 500 to #23, 850 for Twenty Equivalent Unit (TEU) and from #48, 000 to #40,000 for Forty Equivalent Unit (FEU).
It equally directed that shipping agencies should refund the Container deposits to importers and agents within 10 working days after the return of empty containers failure of which the company shall be liable to pay interest on the outstanding amount of deposit at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s prevailing commercial interest rate until the refund was effected.
Ruling on the ex-parte motion brought before him by their counsels on behalf of the Terminal operators and the Shipping Companies, Justice Ibrahim Buba granted an injunction restraining the Council and/or its agents from implementing the reversal order pending the determination of the substantive suit.
He therefore adjourned the matter to Monday, November 10, 2014 for further hearing.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has since said that as a law abiding institution, it would abide by the ruling of the court and would not do anything to jeopardize the judicial process.
