Following the recent alarm raised by freight forwarders on the newly-introduced levy called Sea Protection Levy (SPL) that is payable to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has defended why importers should pay the N1,600 on vehicles and even laden containers.
Following the recent alarm raised by freight forwarders on the newly-introduced levy called Sea Protection Levy (SPL) that is payable to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has defended why importers should pay the N1,600 on vehicles and even laden containers.
The apex maritime regulatory agency said that all vehicle carrier vessels calling at the nation's seaports have a certain percentage of wastes that are discharged into the waters, thus it is the duty of the agency to protect the water from pollution and other harmful ecosystem that the vessels might convey from the port of origin.
Head, Marine Environment Management Department of NIMASA, Mrs. Juliana Gunwa told Shipping Position Daily in Lagos recently that the collection of SPL is a scheme that has been approved by the federal government of the country.
Gunwa explained that in line with government directive, the agency is given the mandate to put the necessary equipment in place to ensure a cleaner and safer ocean.
She said that any vessel that is coming to the ports of a country are regarded as potential polluter of the maritime domain, pointing out that vehicle carrier vessels are no exemption from vessels that bring in other consignment into the seaports of the country.
The NIMASA top official noted that every vessel calling at the ports have certain percentage of waste deposited on the nation's waters and that was the reason importers are to pay SPL.
But in a swift reaction to the levy, Operation Manager, Virtues Marine and Freight Services Limited; Mr. Okafor Chukwuma told our correspondent that it is not the duty of the importers to pay the levy, adding that shipping lines should be responsible for it.
According to the freight forwarder, importers are not contributing to the waste in Nigerian waters and it is the duty of the shipping lines to ensure that their vessels are free from all form of wastes.
"NIMASA should charge the shipping lines and not the importers, if they are charging the shipping lines in that regards, why must the shipping lines impose it on us”, he queried.
"We are paying for freight and the contract stipulates that a vessel is expected to deliver my vehicle to the state of destination for us to pay the handling charges".
There is no doubt that the agency is there to implement but it should not be for freight forwarders to pay the SPL".
"This is what we are facing in the maritime industry because we overlook so many things that are germane to the development of port business, that is why we are paying for it ,the various associations are not doing anything about the charges even though they are aware of the cost implication and how it is affecting the business", he pointed out.
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