• Senate Report Favours Shippers’ Council
• Turns Damaging Verdict on Accuracy of Data
• Wants Monopoly of TPMS Broken
Months after the Senate held a public hearing on the controversial Cargo Tracking Note, there are indications that the Federal Executive Council through the federal ministry of transport has decided on a middle- of- the- road solution to the controversies which has so far trailed the collection.
Sources confirmed to our correspondent last week that the Senate committee on marine transport which held a public hearing on CTN some months back has turned in its recommendations; one of which is that the monopoly that is enjoyed by the collecting firm; TPMS Antaser should be broken and that more firms should be brought in to also collect.
Shipping Position Weekly also learnt that an investigative panel also frowned at the claim by the apostles of CTN that it does not attract additional cost.
“The findings were that CTN indeed imposes additional cost on shippers and that both the Nigerian Ports Authourity and the collecting company; TPMS Antaser were being economical with the truth”. We found out that the position of manufacturers and other stakeholders on the issue as it concerns cost is correct”, our source who is very close to both the National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Transport confirmed last week.
On whether government has finally approved the collection, the source said: “I don’t know whether it has been approved or not, but I know that they have not said that CTN should stop”.
He however gave further insight into the findings of the committee. According to him, it was recommended that since CTN is collectable in other countries by the equivalence of Nigerian Shippers Council, the same should obtain here. It was submitted that “since there is CTN in other countries and it is done by their shippers council, the Nigerian Shippers Council should be allowed to supervise it in Nigeria”, the source added.
Corroborating our findings, a member of the Senate committee on marine transport told our correspondent that the upper chamber’s committee frowned at the disinformation that CTN captures all information concerning all shipments. “We found out that the CTN does not contain any radar data, we believe that what the importers said about CTN and Bill of Lading is correct and that it is a piece of information that are in-putted from the computer”, the CTN does not track anything , the distinguished Senator declared.
One of our submissions is that in any case, the rate is high and that it should be reduced and that it does not render any security service to importers or Nigeria as the country of origin of the containers.
But there are strong indications that the recent letter which emanated from the Nigerian Ports Authourity to the effect that shipping companies must commence immediate full implementation of CTN may set the executive against the legislature.
Meanwhile, the chairman, Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Val Usifoh confirmed to our correspondent last week that shipping lines indeed got a letter from NPA directing commencement of collection of CTN.
He expressed helplessness, saying that it behooves on the shipping lines to obey lawful directive, stating that there is nothing contrary as yet to what NAP has directed and that SAN has already passed same on to shippers for their compliance.
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.
But the Senate committee bombed all the claims in its report saying that the CTN is just an ordinary piece of information that is not different from what is on the Bill of Lading.
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