The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC); Mr Hassan Bello has declared that the recently-introduced Port Additional Destination charge by a shipping company; CMA CGM Shipping Nigeria Limited is illegal.He told Shipping Position Daily exclusively yesterday that there was no way a shipping company will unilaterally introduce or increase charges without recourse to the Council.Recall that via a letter dated October 10th 2017, CMA CGM Shipping Nigeria Limited announced a new levy of N38,000 per 20-foot container and N76,000 per 40-foot container on shippers.The company called it Port Additional Destination charge.But, the Shippers’ Council boss explained that its only one firm that has introduced the charge.“The charge illegal, any charge that the Council has not cleared is illegal. Shippers should not pay”,he stated via the telephone yesterday.“We are negotiating the charges already, so where is this one coming from, it is an aberration’, he added.Also, speaking with Shipping Position Daily exclusively, the image maker of the Shippers Council, Mr. Ignatius Nweke confirmed that the Council has written to the shipping company and that they are already discussing on how to revert the illegal collection. Nweke said that the Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) are also engaging the shipping company alongside the shippers’ council. "We have written to them, we are discussing with them about it. The NPA and the Ministry, everybody is involved and working on it?" Nweke told our correspondent yesterday.
