The Advocacy for Maritime Development Association has disclosed that importers and agents are losing N500m daily over the suspension of stripping activities at the bonded terminals within Tin Can Island Port Complex, Lagos.
Stripping is the removal of containers from the main port to the warehouse or bonded terminal.
As a result, the customs brokers sought the intervention of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council on the resuscitation of stripping activities in the port, saying it would reduce unnecessary charges from shipping companies and terminal operators.
The President of the group, Segun Alabi, who dropped the hint during a courtesy visit to the management team of NSC, said offloading of containers outside the port gate reduced the cost of transportation of goods from the port.
Stripping activities were banned by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority in November 2020.
Alabi said since the activity had been suspended, the cost of transportation had risen from N40,000 to N240,000, adding that stripping could not have been the cause of the traffic.
He said, “We are demanding that stripping should come back. Number one, it will bring down our costs and enable us to return the containers easily because the moment we strip, we have access to return the container and the issue of container deposit will be taken care of.
“Shipping companies usually give considerations for containers that contain vehicles by charging you half of the deposit fee because they know that we strip outside and return the containers on time.
He added, “Before then, to load an MSC or Maerskline container out of the port was N49,000 but today, it costs N240,000. Based on the number of vehicles that have exited the TICT from November till now, that’s a lot of money. We are losing up to N500m daily.”
Earlier, the AMDA boss had called the attention of the NSC boss to the stoppage of export cargo for two weeks owing to lack of logistics in the port.
-Punch