Foreign shipping lines top complaints chart of Shippers Council

Shipping companies operating in Nigeria, top the complaints chart by maritime stakeholders to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in the second half of 2018.

According to the complaints log of the Council exclusively obtained by our correspondent, out of the total complaints of 150 received within the period, 89 were about shipping companies over several allegations.

The figure is followed by 31 complaints against terminal operators, eight against freight forwarders, 12 against shippers and nine against foreign buyers, among others.

The statistics reveal that stakeholders complained most about arbitrary charges in the last six months of 2018.

27 cases of arbitrary charges were received by the Council from freight forwarders and importers within the period.

Other complaints include; refusal to refund container deposit, export/import fraud, short landing/loss and damage of cargo, storage charges, demurrage charges.

Illegal use of license, excess charges, cargo delay, abandonment of cargo, illegal charges, commercial dispute, inadequate holding bays, royalty charges.

However, more than one quarter of the cases have been successfully resolved while others are still receiving attention.

Recall that maritime stakeholders had at different fora accused the Council of failing in its responsibility to intervene on behalf of shippers and their agents.

The Council has said that it is working assiduously over complaints received by it adding that it receives tens of complaints everyday.