The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has achieved significant savings for the nation’s economy, totaling N58.4 billion, by intervening in legal cases, vessel demurrage, and fines imposed on truck owners by the Presidential Standing Task Team (PSTT) from 2021 to 2023.
In a report presented to the House of Representatives Committee on Shipping Service last week, Pius Ukeyima Akutah, the executive secretary of the council, highlighted that from March 2023 to the present, over 95% of vessels calling at Nigerian ports and terminals departed without incident. The document also revealed that over a period of five years, the NSC saved and recovered a total of N6.14 billion through complaints handling.
The NSC played a crucial role in implementing the National Port Process Manual (NPPM), streamlining activities related to joint vessel boarding, cargo examination, and the Operation Free-the-Corridor Programme. Due to the council’s interventions and joint cargo examination exercises by government agencies, the number of cargoes examined per day increased from 120 to an average of 230 boxes per terminal.
The breakdown of the savings from interventions shows that the NSC saved N49 billion in legal cases and out-of-court settlements over three years. Additionally, N9.12 billion was saved through PSTT vessel demurrage savings in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Furthermore, the PSTT imposed fines totaling N1.02 million on errant operators during the Operation Free the Port Corridor between 2021 and 2023.
The NSC receives complaints from regulated service providers and users through the Port Service Support Portal (PSSP), addressing issues such as arbitrary charges, container deposit refunds, and import/export fraud. Over five years, a total of N6.14 billion was saved and recovered through complaints handling.
Regarding the confirmation of the reasonableness of demurrage, freight rate, and charter party, the NSC saved N33.1 billion. This confirmation reduced capital flight out of the country. Specifically, N29.86 billion was saved from the confirmation of demurrage fees, N3.20 billion from charter party fees, and N50.01 million from freight rates between 2019 and 2023.