SALS commends NPA, Shippers’ Council for suspending demurrage

SALS commends NPA, Shippers’ Council for suspending demurrage

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) have been commended for securing demurrage waivers for importers covering the lockdown period arising from the deadly covid 19 pandemic.

The Shippers Association Lagos State (SALS), President, Reverend Jonathan Nicol, gave the commendation in a chat with our correspondent in Lagos.

Nicol said that the lockdown made it impossible to pay Customs duties as expected even as he said that banks too were shut down saying there was gross limitation on shippers to do the necessary clearing processes.

He said, “Shippers should not be sanctioned for a situation that is no fault of theirs. The period of demurrages has no distinction. Rather, the Government gave the incentive as palliative for shutting down our businesses for 1 month. Amount of losses is more than 5 trillion Naira.

“We appeal to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to prevail on Standards Organisation and NAFDAC to emulate the Nigerian Ports Authority by waiving their handling charges on cargo for the period of battling the dreaded Covic-19 pandemic.

“Their offices were shut as well. We salute the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Council of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria and the Freight Forwarders for their sacrifices and continued monitoring of Ports activities during this period.

“We believe a lot of empty containers would have been evacuated as well to ease movement of trucks in and out of the Apapa Ports,” he stated.

Nicol further charged all port users to come together to make the ports environment enviable by doing the right things always.

“We suggest that shippers who were able to clear their cargo during this period and paid demurrage to the Terminal and Shipping operators should provide the Receipt of Payment and photocopies of their Terminal Delivery Order. We will approach the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to ensure that you get a refund,” he assured shippers.

Editing by ‘Biodun Soyele