Clearing agents storm Hanover Bonded terminal, demand charges reversal

Members of the Tin Can Island chapter of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and other clearing agents yesterday stormed the office premises of Hanover General Bonded Terminal over non functioning of the handling equipment .

The agents who stormed the premises of the bonded warehouse in numbers, demanded to see the owner of the facility to find out why the management was charging importers without rendering any service.

According to the enraged agents, Hanover had held inbound trucks spellbound on the road for two weeks because of their inability to discharge or load containers on trucks leading to congestion on the port access roads.

Okwudili Onwudinjo, treasurer of Tin Can Island chapter of NAGAFF told newsmen that there have been several complaints from freight forwarders hence the need to approach office of the terminal for explanations.

“We have been receiving a lot of complaints from freight forwarders here in Tin Can in respect to what Hanover is doing to them.

“Some of them have been here for the past one or two weeks. Hanover management could not even offload containers for examination. Apart from that, the same Hanover people are charging agents five thousand naira everyday for putting their containers here.

“Those that are ready to load their containers cannot go because there is no forklift. Apart from that, if you watch the access road inside this Tin Can, it has been blocked by containers that are supposed to go into their terminal.

Speaking further, Onwudinjo said their demands from Hanover include : To stop collection of the five thousand naira forthwith as well as to get handling equipment to load and offload containers in their terminal, among others.

“Our demands are as follows; they should go and get equipment to offload and load containers; the five thousand naira demurrage they are collecting from agents everyday should be removed; they should liaise with Ports and Cargo, TICT and even the shipping companies to see what they can do on the demurrage that freight forwarders are paying.”

Efforts to reach the management of the terminal proved abortive as the accountant that addressed the freight forwarders declined to comment .

Meanwhile in her discussion with the agents earlier, she agreed that the five thousand naira collection would stop with immediate effect even as she promised to table other requests before the management for consideration.