The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has threatened to boycott the CMA CGM shipping line should it go ahead with its planned introduction of congestion surcharge on Lagos bound cargoes.
Recall that CMA CGM had recently issued a notice to shippers informing them of the planned introduction of congestion surcharge of $400 per container on Lagos bound cargoes with effect from Monday 15th October, 2018.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, the National President of NAGAFF, Chief Increase Uche condemned the development in strong terms adding that they would direct their members not to accept the CMA CGM bill of lading if they go ahead to implement the surcharge from the 15th October.
In his word,” It is not proper. We in NAGAFF condemn it to the extent that we will even tell our members not to accept the CMA CGM bill of lading if they go ahead to implement this surcharge from the 15th October. Even their cargo that are already here, what we will do is to put a caveat on their billing of lading so that nobody will touch it anymore because it is not proper, it not acceptable to us.
“It is not proper what CMA CGM is trying to do. What we are saying now is that should they go ahead to implement that, we will go all out; we will not relent in taking our own step to check such arbitrariness because once CMA CGM succeeds, other shipping lines will follow suit”.
Uche described as unfortunate the impunity being exhibited by the terminal operators and shipping companies to the extent that since after the concession of the port, it had been a culture for them to resort to creating bottleneck.
He argued that the issue of congestion was not new in shipping and that there was no port in the whole that can be said to have escaped the issue of congestion saying that it was the control that matters.
“Congestion might come from the sea side, affecting vessels, at times; it could be on the land side like what we have today, the gridlock that has been recurring for a very long time now. So, for any shipping company in Nigeria to rise and then slam charges against the Nigerian shippers in what they tagged congestion surcharge, it is quite unfortunate because they see Nigeria as a banana republic where they feel that government itself, when it makes laws, they can always circumvent it and they themselves being multinationals feel that anything goes in this country.
“But it is time we start to prove them wrong, we know that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been saddled with controlling the charges, protection of shippers as the interim regulator, so, it is up to them right now to do the needful.
“We are also aware that in shipping, once there is issue whether man-made or natural to the extent that shippers could not get access to their cargo, it could be congestion, it could be lock out, it could be strike, throughout that period, negotiations should be carried out on whether demurrage should be paid. If at all it should be paid, what should be the concession made.
“But for CMA CGM to just wake up with the notion of surcharging cargo for what they called congestion surcharge calls for serious attention of the government and we cannot resort to self-help. Government should rise to the occasion”, he said.
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