Vice President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Mr. Kayode Farinto has blamed government agencies in the maritime sector for hike in freight cost.
Speaking to Shipping Position Daily, the ANLCA Vice president accused the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Navy for duplicating charges at the seaports.
Farinto particularly blamed NIMASA and NPA for duplicating charges collected from the shipping companies, which, he said adds to high cost of goods in the country.
He said NIMASA charges a lot of money on the gross tonnage in dollars, asides duplicating charges collected by both NIMASA and NPA, he said NIMASA collects charges for Maritime Environmental and Management Protection Levy, which is the same with pollution charges collected by NPA.
Farinto who also doubles as a governing council member of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) also lamented the high cost of security charges paid by shipping companies at anchorage.
He informed that shipping companies pay as much as $2000 per day at anchorage for security against pirates stating that it takes close to 55 days at anchorage for a vessel going to APMT terminal, while it takes 25 days for a vessels heading to TICT.
He said: “I am one of the people that believe that the shipping companies are the major problem in the country, I am shifting grounds in view of what I have seen; the blame does not go to them alone, the chunk of it goes to NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy and partially NPA.
“I met with the MD of NPA concerning the over charges in the shipping companies. For example, NIMASA is charging for maritime environmental and management protection levy, NPA is charging pollution charges and they are the same charges collected from shipping lines.
“You can't be charging for Environmental Protection Levy and NPA at the same time levying for Pollution charges”
Speaking further, he said that when a vessel calls on the nation’s waters, NIMASA charges 3% Freight on each container, stating that NIMASA collects about $100 on a 20ft container and $200 dollars on 40ft container.
Farinto argued that the high charges slammed by NIMASA has led to the country being a dumping ground for empty containers in the country.
He however stated that the high charges slammed on shipping companies should not be a justification for their failure to have holding bays.
“When a vessel calls on the nation’s waterway, NIMASA charges 3% Freight which means that NIMASA collects $100 for 1 by 20ft and $200 for 1 by 40ft on each container on our water-ways.
“Imagine if you have 500 containers on a vessel, how much that will be. Now Nigeria is an empty containers’ dump site.
“Why would Shipping Company abandon their containers? A container cost about $10,000 to build abroad. Minimum Freight is $2000.
“So if a container goes five times in a year, it has covered the money used in buying it. Logically, no marketer would abandon his container here.
“Though there are some shipping companies without holding bays. For example, assuming Maersk line brings in 5000 TEUs every month, do they have holding bays for 5000 empty containers?
“The answer is No. The problem has been either Maersk line or APMT. On the other hand, there may not be having much problem. If a vessel calls on a water-way, on each container they charge N136,000(container charges for Shipping Companies) and when you are unable to return their container, they start slamming charges on you, that’s when you start depleting your deposit.
“Also, when a ship calls in our waterways let’s say APMT, it takes 55 days to call, If it is TICT, 25 days. Once a vessel enters our water-ways, it is the job of the NPA to escort you.
“There is a place they anchor vessel called Secure Anchorage and they pay $2000 a day for Secure Anchorage. The question is, who takes that money?
He went on to say that the issue of OML, the senate investigated and directed the suspension of Secure Anchorage is still in place and they are still collecting charges for a responsibility that should be carried out by NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy.
“Why The Nigeria Navy aren't responsive it’s because of NIMASA's charges. They felt left out by NIMASA, who keep receiving the fat pay”.
He urged that Stakeholders to hold a meeting to iron out these difference between the two parties. each knowing his own duty, so as to ensure the security of our water-ways and stop the payment of secured anchorage.
Group Writes NPA Over Delay By Terminal Operators To Refund Demurrages, Accuses APMT Of Being Manipulative 7
The National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has written to the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) lamenting delibrate delays by the agency to enforce terminal operators in refunding demurrages collected from licensed customs agents.
This was conveyed in a letter signed by the national president of the association, Mr. Lucky Amiwero and addressed to the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman on Friday, titled, "Subversion of the foreign terminal operators to the federal government directive by the refusal to refund the illegally money forcefully collected from Nigerian importers/licensed customs agents from 23rd March for 35days as approved by the presidency for the waiver of rents for the period of Covid-19 pandemic lockdown".
According to Amiwero, the decision is coming after series of letters attaching the invoice of the illegal collection by the terminal operators, to the NPA without response.
"We sent 10 batches of various terminals’ invoices and request that the amount should be refunded in line with the directive being an agency to coordinate the implementation as contained in paragraph 2 of the Presidential letter, without response”, he said.
Amiwero accused NPA of deliberately protecting terminal operators with a conflicting circular issued last month.
"The Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) delayed the implementation by issuing the circular after allowing the total collection by terminals, by issuing a circular after the on the 14th May 2020 after the ease of the lockdown and only interested to protect the Terminal operators by issuing a conflicting circular on the 21 may 2020 to the Terminal operators to cover the interest of Terminal operators, who are here only to exploit and destroy the economy"
The NCMDLCA boss accused AP Moller Terminal (APMT) of manipulatively informing NPA of a software problem in order not to refund the demurrages, even as he accused the terminal of illegally collecting money from importers.
"APMT manipulatively, informed NPA of a software problem by 14th of May 2020 and have illegally collected all importers / Licensed Customs Agents (LCA) approved money from 23 of March , which is supposed to end in May 4th and letter was issued by NPA on 14th May 2020 frustrating Federal Government Directive"
According to him, "As directed in your letter, the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents(NCMDLCA) are to request for the appropriate refund from the Terminal Operators which has been done, through various batches of the various Importers/ Licensed Customs Agents(LCA) invoice of payment illegally collected, which subject the relief that falls on the approved date and a follow up with meetings, without response up till date" he said.
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