Muhammadu Buhari, during the Commissioning of the Lagos- Ibadan Rail-line at the Johnson Mobolaji Terminal, Yaba in Lagos…on Thursday.
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Importers and licensed customs agents in Port Terminal Operators Limited in Port Harcourt’s main port have expressed their displeasure over recently introduced new handling charges by the company, even as the PTOL vehemently deny any such hike or increment.
It was learnt efforts by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council distinctly made to compel the Port Terminal Operators Limited (PTOL) to reverse and withdraw the charges have failed.
The NPA, acting on petitions and pleas of shippers and freight forwarders, had in late May summoned concerned stakeholders to a meeting where it was decided that PTOL reverse to the old rates. The organisation reportedly complied.
It was learnt reliably that on Tuesday 6th June, PTOL management surprisingly reintroduced invoices bearing exorbitant rates to the chagrin of importers and customs agents, a development that has allegedly led to a temporary suspension of berthing meetings by key shipping stakeholders in the port.
Consequently, goods worth billions of Naira were allegedly stranded in the terminal because big players such as Dangote, Dufil, Royal Salt, BUA, are frequent users of the port.
According to a shipping agent who patronise the terminal regularly, on the condition of anonymity, that the new rates not only violate laid down rules of engagement and stipulated yearly percentage increment but it was also an abuse of trust and customership which may lead to importers diverting their vessels or cargo elsewhere henceforth.
“How do you want people to survive or cope with the resultant increment in cost of goods and service that this increment will portend? PTOL suddenly changed a bill of N6million to close to N50million for me, is that not some 900 percent raise? The same thing goes for other massive bulk cargo importers. With Naira value depreciating daily, you now add these exorbitant charges plus the new official exchange rate by the Nigeria Customs Service.
“Things will certainly not augur well for both the rich and the poor and the economy that is already weak. If care is not taken, most importers might dump PTOL and return to Lagos,” lamented the shipping agent who is also a customs agent.
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He further regretted PTOL’s inability to improve on infrastructure in the port and wondered why PTOL could not respect both the NPA who are the Landlord and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Regulator.
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council had intervened severally cautioning all port terminal operators to be circumspect and considerate when reviewing their terminal handling charges considering the impact of the decision on the economy.
In a recent memo, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council warned that port handling charges review would be done on a port by port performance basis and not unilaterally by the port operators.
According to the memo, “Unilateral increase in charges/introduction of the new tariff headings and charges constitutes a direct disregard of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (Local Shipping Charges on Import and Export) Regulation 1997 and Nigerian Shippers’ Council (Port Economic) Regulations 2015.
Consequently, all service providers are by this notice reminded that: Review of charges/introduction of new tariffs headings and charges shall be subject to the guidelines provided by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.”
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But a spokesman of PTOL, Mr. Godwin, debunked the notion, describing it as ridiculous to allege that the management had increased charges by 900 per cent.
“This is not true at all. We only increase charges by 5 per cent whereas others have increased by much more. We even cancelled arrears. Please endeavour to come here and verify by yourself. We don’t work in isolation, we work, in respect to government laid down rules,” he said.
He however admitted that stevedoring charges per tonnage have been increased which may add to lump sums for large volumes importers.
Corroborating the PTOL in his reaction, the President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Chief Increase Uche said a 900 per cent increase in handling charges by PTOL could not be true, even though he was aware that PTOL and other terminals in the seaports in the country had submitted a reviewed proposal in their handling charges to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, to which the Council is yet to give a nod.
Chief Increase Uche stressed that PTOL and others, for many years, have not increased their charges and doing so now could be justified considering a constant rise in the costs of handling equipment, electricity bill, labour salaries/wages and other production factors.
