Stakeholders say foreign shipliners killing Nigeria’s economy

The organized private sector has condemned the arbitrary charges slammed on importers by foreign liners, saying that their activities were killing the economy of the nation.

The stakeholders said the development if not stopped is capable of undermining the economic growth of Nigeria stiffening the organized private sector.

The importers said the increase in arbitrary charges has been on a progressive upward trend adding that it became a source of worry for both Nigerian importers and freight forwarders in recent times.

Speaking with media men in Lagos, Mr. Emeka Abara, Managing Director, Homebase Nigeria Limited said though, the arbitrary charges by shipping firms and terminal operators might be attributed to the bad roads but that they should also note that the volumes of cargoes coming is high.

He said: “Until we have a hub port in Nigeria or West Africa, intra-Africa bound cargoes will continue to be taken to Europe before they bring them back to Africa.”

Also speaking, Mr. Kareem Biola, and Managing Director of Roseola Global Venture said that most of the difficulties faced by importers are caused by the shipping companies as they moved Nigerian bound cargoes back and forth a long time before moving them to Nigerian.

In a letter to the Managing Director of Safmarine, one of the major foreign shipping firms in Nigeria, Biola through its solicitors said that the shipping firm was contracted to move a container Kenya to Apapa, Lagos on the 12th of September 2019 adding that when the said container left Mombasa port, instead coming to Lagos, it first went to Salalah in Oman on 17th of September.

On October 3, 2019, the same container was loaded onto Maersk In Guatemala and rather than sending it to Apapa it was sent to Bremen in Germany. The container arrived in Bremen, Germany on October 23, 2019.

Besides the delay experienced in shipping the container to Lagos, the goods arrived damaged as the said container was perforated with holes through which rains entered the container and damaged the cargo.

Part of the letter reads: “that Safmarine Nigeria was contracted by our client to ship a 40ft container No. MRSU3414968 With waybill Ref: 2020/01AP/115585352083 containing Hide & Skin from Kenya to Apapa, then sometime In September, 2019.

“The container was supposed to arrive Nigeria Port Apapa within a maximum number of 7days, but took longer than expected due no mum and mystified human error as claimed by Safmarine Shipping Line and did not arrive at Apapa until October 17, 2019.

“The container was loaded onto a ship called Huego Shume Voyage, on the 12th day of September 2019 and it arrived at Salalah Terminal, Oman on the 17th day of September 2019. On the 3rd day of October 2019, the same container was loaded on Maersk, Guatemala vessel and rather than sending it to Apapa it was sent to Bremen in Germany. The container arrived in Bremen, Germany on 23rd October 2019.

According to Biola, at the end of the day all sorts of charges will be slammed on the cargoes by the shipping companies and terminal operators for no fault of the shipper.