“We have read from online reports that Messrs. CMA CGM has introduced $400 as congestion surcharge per consignment in addition to all other charges now in contest”.
These were the words of the President of Shippers Association Lagos State, Rev. Jonathan Nicol while speaking on behalf of his members at his Apapa office yesterday.
According to him, Shippers’ Association Lagos State has viewed this new charge as arbitrary, unfair and indeed lacking economic sense since the congestion mentioned above is not caused by importers and shippers.
He further explained that, it was the view of the shippers that the incidences of laden trucks with empty containers littering all over the city of Lagos and causing security risks to lives and properties should be viewed more seriously by the Economic Port Regulator, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He added that the menace of the empty containers on trucks on the highways and suburbs had not only become a nuisance but had posed terrible security risks on residents along the routes in question.
According to him, “The empty Containers are the property of the shipping lines which normally collect container deposits for their boxes in transit. On prompt return of the empty containers, the importer can claim back his deposit. It is a known fact that empty containers do not have access to the ports with ease as before and this is a riddle.
“Agreed the roads are bad, but trucks don’t have access into the ports, either to Apapa port, Tincan Island or PTML ports regularly and a total of 800 containers are cleared daily from the various ports. How did the trucks get in to the Ports? Why can’t the trucks carrying more than 800 containers daily have access to the ports to offload their empty boxes? Why should the importer pay additional fee to offload the property of the shipping company in their premises again when all charges have been paid in advance?
“Congestion fee should be passed on to the shipping lines and their subsidiaries, the terminal operators who receives the empty containers on behalf of their client -the Shipping Company- awaiting export of the empty boxes. It is believed that at least a thousand empty containers should be exported daily since over 800 fully loaded containers are delivered to various consignees daily. Shippers’ Association Lagos State is worried and do not want to press charges on all the port regulators. But these questions need to be answered”.
Rev. Nicole who was visibly furious about the illegal charges asked rhetorically,”Who pays for the inconveniences of millions of Nigerians in various locations where empty containers and trucks have damaged their normal human lifestyle?
“The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Trade owes Nigerians explanations why container business is reducing the lifespan of their citizens while it remained silent. It is indeed unfortunate that there is deliberate policy somersault of Government making the private service provider operate under unknown negative regulatory compliance”.
He disclosed that his association would partner with other stakeholders to press for damages to their collective business downturn, destruction of their hard earned infrastructure and compensation for those who lost their lives in the struggle to deliver empty containers to their rightful owners and also hold the port regulators responsible for their inability to induce sanity in the dispensation of their normal duties.
“We are law abiding and cannot continue to pay heavy local transport fare further. The local transporters should be made to reduce their unreasonable charges for evacuation of goods from the Ports. If the shipping lines are held culpable, the local transport owners themselves should be held responsible for high cost of doing business in our Ports. The Nigerian Shippers’ Council should please make sure such fees like local transport fare, congestion levy are tackled”, he said.
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