African Shippers’ Council kicks against imposition of peak period surcharge on Nigerian shippers

Segun Oladipupo |

Barely 24 hours after the Nigerian shippers’ Council rallied the Organised Private Sector against imposition of
Peak Season Surcharges (PSS) by Shipping lines serving the West African Trade Routes, the Union of African Shippers’Council (UASC) has lent its voice against the arbitrary surcharge.
Nigerian Shippers’ Council had in on August 16, 2020 letter addressed to the European Community Ship Owners Association (ECSA) and copied to the UASC among others, complained about the outrageous increase in surcharges with particular reference to Peak Season Surcharge (PSS), levied on Nigeria bound cargo.

The latest call by UASC was made public by the Deputy Director, Public Relations,Rekiya Zubairu on Friday.

According to her, the Secretary-General Ogoula Giscard Lilian, the UASC, in a letter he personally signed, strongly condemned the “unilateral and offensive action by ECSA
carriers in blatant disrespect of previous agreement and expectations,”

The African shippers Council stated further that the action destabilizes the business operations of its members “through the increaseof transport costs and weakening of the economies of UASC member-states, especially during this outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic which has kept commercial activity at its lowest
in terms of activity and prosperity.”

The letter to ECSA further stated that “the implementation of this
unilateral decision on your part is in violation of previous UASC/ECSA
agreements requiring prior, mutual and reasonable notification of UASC and PMAWCA by individual shipping companies before any such imposition of new tariffs, surcharge or increase in transport cost”

The letter referred ECSA to the Report of the UASC/ECSA meeting held on 16 July 2010; Joint Declaration between UASC and ECSA signed in Brussels on 12 April 2012.”

UASC then called on ECSA to kindly take the following measures:-
Respect previous agreements and recommendations on this
matter; suspend the application of the Peak Season Surcharge until discussions on the new surcharges take place, take necessary measures to improve on the general transparency and facilitation of trade relation with UASC’s members.

It may be recalled that two days ago, Nigerian Shippers’ Council convened a meeting of stakeholders and the organised private sector to discuss the astronomical increase in Peak Season Surcharge.
The meeting roundly condemned the surcharge.
Chief Cajetan Agu, Nigerian Shippers’ Council Director of Consumer Affairs Department said a joint platform made up of UASC, Shippers’ Council and other relevant stakeholders would be created to facilitate discussions with ECSA.