Freight forwarders operating in the maritime sector have urged the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to ensure that it wakes up from its slumber and live up to its responsibilities in year 2012 by ensuring that it defends the right of shippers and curtail the excesses of shipping companies operating in Nigeria and their arbitrary charges.
Freight forwarders operating in the maritime sector have urged the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to ensure that it wakes up from its slumber and live up to its responsibilities in year 2012 by ensuring that it defends the right of shippers and curtail the excesses of shipping companies operating in Nigeria and their arbitrary charges.
The freight forwarders are of the opinion that the council has failed to defend the rights of shippers and checkmate the shipping companies and their charges, adding that, this function is embedded in the Act setting up the Shippers’ Council.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily correspondent in Lagos last week, the Tin Can Island Chapter Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Mr. Farinto Kayode advised that in other for the council to do better in 2012, there is need for the Federal Government to empower the council by reviewing the Shippers’ Council Act.
“Government should empower the Nigerian Shippers’ Council by encouraging the National Assembly to review the Council’s Act, this will go a long way in giving the maritime industry a respite because the various shippers will now begin to see their relevance and run to them”, he pointed out.
Freight forwarders had last year led a protest against the arbitrary increase of charges by shipping companies, particularly, Alraine Shipping company, the action led to clearing agents barricading the entrance of the shipping company for one day.
But Farinto said that the reason why agents had to take the action is because the Shippers’ Council which is supposed to control the shipping companies and look into the issue has failed to do so.
“It is unfortunate because you find out that these shipping companies have their cronies as former ministers, retired generals and former heads of state, we don’t need to mention names, this is why when serious committees are set up, these set of people who are so powerful will seat on the report”
“there is no eureka, and that is why we are clamoring that the report of the various committees set up by the government to look into the arbitrary charges by shipping companies should be implemented, don’t forget that the presidents of the three freight associations were on that committee but somebody somewhere is seating on that report, the report should be expunged and implemented to the letter, if this is done it will go a long way in sanitizing the industry” he said.
In the same vein, the PTML Chapter chairman of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Mr. Ugochukwu Nnadi advised that in order not to have the same kind of chaos that was experienced at the port last year due to increase in shipping charges, the Shippers Council should institute a monthly round table meeting between stakeholders.
He said that “the shippers council is not helping matters, let them try and set up a maritime round table at least once in a month where we can come and x-ray all these problems, there should be terminal operators, shipping companies, the stakeholders in the shipping community including the freight forwarders in the meeting in order to resolve these gray areas”
Continuing, Nnadi said that “if the shippers council cannot do this then another body should be set up to streamline and control these shipping companies and terminal operators, but by the virtue of the Act that set it up, it is the duty of the shippers council to control these people, there was no efforts whatsoever from the shippers council to curtail these problems, we have been talking and talking to no avail”
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