Shippers Council seeks Navy’s support in implementation of Cargo Tracking Note

… Says 80% of Nigerian Importers Try to Cut Corners

By Dapo Olawuni

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr Hassan Bello has called on the Nigerian Navy to support the Council in its attempt to reintroduce the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN), even as he assured that the scheme would assist the Nigeria Customs Service to collect accurate duty on imported cargoes.

Bello stated this during a courtesy visit to his office by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy at the weekend.

The Cargo Tracking Note is an instrument which would help track the content and movement of containers right from the port of loading overseas until it gets into Nigeria.

Bello noted that though the Council had initially commenced implementation of the ICTN, it was however suspended by the Federal Government. He however said the Council is making efforts to see that the scheme comes back.

Speaking, he said “The Navy should support the Council’s quest to have International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN)
This is an instrument which would right from the port of loading overseas , Nigeria would know what is coming into its territory”

“It would interest you to note that almost all countries have a way of tracking cargoes coming to their country, but we don’t have that in Nigeria”

“Nigerian Shippers Council had commenced the implementation, but for administrative and other reasons, the project was suspended”

“But we are on the quest of having it now, it makes our ports more efficient for the ease of doing business, it would reduce smuggling, proliferation of arms and so on”

“This would help to also decide how much our customs duty should be, 80% of cargoes that are imported into Nigeria make attempts to cut corners and Customs are not really getting the real revenue” he said

Bello also assured that the Council would integrate the Nigerian Navy into its Port Community System in other to ensure accurate data exchange on activities on Nigerian waters and for speedy resolution of security challenges on the waters.

“We already have a port community system where we deal with the Customs, Nigeria Police, Terminal Operators, shipping companies, insurance companies, shippers freight forwarders and many others”

“Your coming into the community system would brighten the forum” he said

Speaking earlier on the purpose of the courtesy visit, Flag Officer Commanding of Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji said the Navy is collaborating with all agencies in the maritime sector to ensure information sharing for proper implementation of policies and security of the waterways.

He appreciated the Shippers Council boss for offering to include the Navy on the Port Community System.

He informed his host that the Navy has a robust maritime domain awareness system with capacity to monitor every activity on Nigerian waters.

According to him, the Navy has capacity to see activities of vessels beyond 200nautical miles of Nigerian Exclusive Economic Zone.

In his words, the Naval boss said “We have a robust maritime domain awareness system comprising of the FALCON EYE and the Regional Maritime Awareness Capability System that we can use to monitor and track vessels up to and beyond our exclusive economic zone beyond 200 nautical miles” he said

Daji appreciated the role of the Shippers Council and the support it has rendered to the Nigerian Navy in the past.

“On the issue of enforcement of policies in the maritime sector, Shippers Council has been doing a lot to identify the gaps, but what is required of us to do now is a synergy of efforts among all the stakeholders to make sure that gaps in policies, regulations and directives are well articulated”

“Luckily, we now have legislatures in place at the federal level that could drive and facilitate the enactment into law or amendment of our laws that are no longer of contemporary relevance”

“In area of research, we would need your assistance to share information about shipping so that we would know the impacts of what we are doing at sea, is it having a positive or negative effect on the shipping industry”

“So we would request the Executive Secretary to come up with a forum where from time to time we can exchange data, and I know that data from the Nigerian Shippers Council would be more authoritative”

“We want to be able to relate well with all agencies in the maritime sector of which we are also a part, there is no single agency that can do it alone and that is the reason for this visit” he said