Port activities in Lagos State are at a standstill! Freight forwarders are protesting high demurrage and port charges by the concessionaires and shipping lines operating in the country.
The protest is in response to the 72-hour ultimatum given to the Federal Government by the freight forwarders, which ended on Sunday, February 9, 2009 to either intervene in the matter or withdraw their services.
According to investigations conducted at the Tin Can Island Port, and Lilypond Container Terminal – both in Apapa, BusinessDay discovered that trucks were not allowed to move in or out of the ports for fear that hooligans may seize the opportunity to loot the ports, this is even as the freight forwarders gathered at the different port gates.
It was also found out that clearing agents who defied the order where disappointed as mobile police officers stationed in front of the ports, intervened and prevented those who attempted to gain entry into the ports.
Also, truck drivers, who came from other states to take delivery of their consignments, were stranded as they wait in their articulated vehicles, waiting for the next line of action.
Speaking with our reporter at the Tin Can Island Port, the chairman, Joint Action Committee on Port Protest, Ben Uche Nde, said they were protesting the arbitrary increase in terminal handling charges, without consultation with freight forwarder, Licensed Customs Agents, port users and other shipping practitioners.
He explained that there was inadequate container freight station for swift discharge operation of empty containers which was causing serious delay in quick turnaround time of trucks.
The Nde pointed out the unjustified deduction in the container deposit account against the importers, which he said was as a result of negligence by the shipping lines to facilitate the offloading of empty containers.
“There is long delay of container refund processing system, which in turn tie down importers’ capital unnecessarily, thereby affecting the re-ordering level of goods in the global trade”, the chairman action committee stated.
The freight forwarder condemned the delay in customer billing/invoicing and payment receipt operation system by some terminal operators and shipping lines, which he said takes about five days, saying that importers would be forced to pay the number of days they queue to get invoice for payment.
However on his part, the managing director of Maersk Line Nigeria, Tom Knudsen said in response to the Federal Government plea for stakeholders to make sacrifice to ensure that containers leave the port, the company had decided to waive any demurrage for any container stemmed to off-dock terminals after February 1, 2009 apart from the seven days given by the international community as free time.
With this initiative, he explained that demurrage would only be charged from the date the containers arrive at the off-dock terminal.
According to him, the demurrage for overtime containers disposed through auction by the Nigeria Customs Service, would only attract a maximum charge of N100,000, while overtime containers that was discharged in Lagos ports on or before November 1, 2009 and cleared through standard procedure would be granted 50 percent waiver on demurrage charges.
Knudsen further explained that Maersk Line Nigeria would grant 75 percent waiver of demurrage for overtime containers that has been discharged at Lagos ports on or before August 1, 2009 and were cleared through standard procedures.
Feb102009