Shippers Council to seal unregistered firms, terminals

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has threatened to seal off offices of shipping companies, as well as seaport terminals that fail to register with the council.

The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Hassan Bello, a lawyer, made this disclosure at a one-day sensitisation clinic programme for regulated service providers in Lagos.

The Council has given regulated service providers one month to regularise their operations or face deregistration.

Those affected by the order include seaport terminal operators, shipping companies, offdock terminal/bonded warehouses, cargo consolidators, logistics service providers, freight forwarders, inland container depot operators, stevedoring companies and others. The Shippers’ Council boss, who was represented at the event by Cajetan Agu, director of consumers affairs, said the second phase of the sensitisation programme for shipping companies, terminal operators and inland container dry ports would soon commence.

Bello explained that the sanction would come in two phases, adding that those found wanting would be first delisted before their business premises would be sealed.

According to him, the registration is in line with part 2, section 41 of the NSC Port Economic Regulation.

He said, “At the first sensitisation programme in 2019, participants raised the issue of high registration fee, stating that it adds to cost of doing business. And this was reviewed downwards, but surprisingly, some regulated service providers did not comply.”