To tame incessant demurrage disputes, NSC working on MoU with shipping firms
End to intractable trade disputes hobbling shipping companies on issues of container deposit regime and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) may soon be a thing of the past.
This is coming on the basis of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with shipping companies to find a sustainable way of solving disputes in the maritime industry which will be signed in partnership with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, made this known in an interview in Lagos weekend, saying “the agreement will look into the tariffs that currently exist and if the memorandum is signed, it will have positive impact on the maritime industry”.
“We act on complaints we received from shippers generally.
“Shippers said the container deposit regime is extremely harsh and through no fault of shippers, they are made to pay demurrage.
“So, it is important we look at the operations of shipping companies and even if you take container deposits, it should be returned within four days so that freight forwarders will continue with their business.
“We are going to work in the long run to abolish container deposits,” the executive secretary said.
According to Bello, “There was need to look into the whole container deposit’s regime and the issue of specific regulations to enable the operations fall in line with international best practices”.
He disclosed that the Council had embarked on periodic engagement with stakeholders to ensure all the port operators keyed into the Ease of Doing Business initiative of government.
Bello argued further that “If all the stakeholders keyed into the Federal Government’s initiative on Ease of Doing Business, Nigeria could have good rating by the World Bank”.
