Similarly, any container on fast-track, henceforth, will be delivered directly to the owner’s warehouse.
These were part of the resolutions reached at the end of a closed-door meeting organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) for the Lagos Shippers’ Association and management of the Tin Can Island Container Terminal Limited (TICT) in Lagos yesterday.
Other issues raised at the meeting, it was learnt, are transfer of containers to off-dock terminals without shippers’ consents and prior notice, therefore causing delays in the delivery process, as well as charges of N10, 000 for issuance of identity cards to agents.
Earlier in his address, the NSC Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Barrister Hassan Bello, stated that, while the Council has had meetings with terminal operators, the decision to meet with the management of TICT is in response to frequent complaints of shippers of alleged delays in the clearance process, positioning of containers, and examination period of seven to nine days, as well as upfront payment of storage charges, among other issues.
Bello noted that yesterday’s meeting is not meant to take sides with either of the concerned parties, but to dialogue with the relevant stakeholders on how to address the issues in the overall interest of the economy and for businesses to thrive.
“The role of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is to bring both parties together because both sides need each other. One cannot survive without the other. We are not macro managing the relationship between the two but we are looking at the economy overall interest. If we have such harmony and mutual respect, then our shipping companies will thrive,” Bello said.
He added: ”We want faster clearance procedure, we want reduction or moderation in tariff, we want containers to be moving as soon as they are with the terminal operators and cargo to be deliver in good time to the shipper with less fees and with no damages or under delivery.”
The NSC boss pledged that the Council will continue to protect the interest of Nigerian shippers and ensure they get better quality service.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.