• Supports Shippers Council As Implementing Agency
• Wants Other Firms Appointed
• Pegs Levy At $50/Container
Precisely one month after Shipping Position Weekly scooped that the Nation al Assembly has concluded work on its probe of the implementation of the controversial Cargo Tracking Note (CTN), the Senate has now submitted its findings to the minister of transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman and President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Senator Gbemi Saraki-led marine transport committee which had earlier held a public hearing with stakeholders on the CTN recommended drastic review of the implementation of CTN.
In the report which was sighted by our correspondent last week end, the lawmakers affirmed that CTN remains a mere cargo verification and information collection scheme, but which contrary to claims had financial implications for importers.
The committee also observed that contrary to what obtains in other African countries where CTN exists, it is NPA that collects in Nigeria.
One key recommendation of the committee is that “in line with continental best practices, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) should take over from NPA as implementing agency for CTN”.
The committee also recommended that the monopoly which is currently being enjoyed by TPMS Antersa as the sole collector of CTN Levy should be broken and that more firms should be engaged.
Another recommendation is that the levy should be reduced to a maximum of $50 per container.
A member of the committee who also confirmed the report and its submission to the Executive frowned at what he called misinformation about CTN and its cost implication.
The member who carved anonymity disclosed that “now we know that CTN is an additional cost for importers and we also found out that importers pay as much as $450 on a container”, even as he maintained that the monopoly of TPMS should be broken.
NPA had at the on-set of CTN collection in January,2010 highlighted the benefit of the CTN to include the control of freight charges; ability to access advance information on all cargoes which made actual advance billing possible; introduction of one point payment system that reduced time and energy in clearing goods, thereby making a less-than-24 hour clearing possible.
Others include accessibility to real time on line central information that makes statistics for decision making possible on a real time basis rather than historical basis; having information on cargo before it is even on the vessel; improvement on the security of port infrastructure, vessels and personnel; certification of ports by the USA and European nations and the Green Status given to port infrastructure, vessel; and accruable value added benefits to the national economy.
The member however explained that it was an anomaly for NPA to be the arrowhead of CTN implementation in Nigeria. “One of our findings was that Nigeria is the only country where the port Authourity is the implementing agency for the purpose of collecting CTN, so we recommended that NPA should stop leave it for Shippers Council especially since NPA is not contributing anything to the process of collection”.
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