Freight Forwarders Hit APMT Boss on Ports Congestion, Demand Unreserved Apology or Face Wrath
Container depot
Freight forwarders weekend rose in utter condemnation of the Country Manager of the APMT, Mr. Klaus Laursen, for accusing freight forwarders as responsible for the Apapa ports congestion by failing to come forward to clear their containers at the right time, saying this was a big blackmail on the professionals.
In a right of reply by the Head of Research, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke, the association said the statement from Laursen was a cheap way to transfer blame and operational inadequacies on the forwarders, “so as to divert the attention of the concerned authorities on the impending consequences of port congestion”.
Nweke said the statement from the Country Manager was also without consideration the implication on the country before the international community, adding that such allegation was capable of attracting imposition of congestion levy on goods coming to Nigeria.
Besides, he said, the statement from the APMT boss would give a wrong signal to the international community that Nigerian freight forwarders constitute a clog on the wheel of trade facilitation in the country, which according to him was false.
According to him, the statement casts aspersion on the professional integrity of majority of Nigerian freight forwarders who had in the past four decades paid their dues for the good of the nation’s shipping industry.
The association gave the Country Manager 7days to tender an unreserved professional apology to the Nigerian Freight Forwarders or force them to consider severing long standing cordial business relationship with the company.
The statement also charged the APMT boss to consider a number of measures, including investing more on cargo handling equipment in the terminal to correspond with the cargo volume to check congestion.
Part of the measures, according to NAGAFF, was to wear a “human face and be flexible in every business dealing.
The company was also called upon to stop such allegation as “undue operational antics and arm-twisting practices aimed at currying or wetting the ground for additional storage period to your benefit”
Part of the statement, including requests and allegations from NAGAFF against the APMT boss reads:
“Mr. Country Manager, please give consideration to the following factors promoting port congestion in your terminal operation:
a) Invest massively and dedicate enough cargo handling equipment in correspondence with your cargo volume, so as to increase your present berth production capacity from 14moves per crane to mafi-truck per hour from ship to stack. This will boost vessel dwell and turnaround time at berth. All over the world the application of scanty acquisition of cargo gantry cranes and other handling equipment within the interval of 7years is rather a disservice to the Shippers.
b) Embrace the operational culture of prompt freeing of the export empty containers space at the quay apron. Improve and ensure sound planning of empty containers return and evacuation to origin ports. Always embrace the principle of daily space creation and maximization.
c) Deploy Information Technology driven inventory control model in the stacking areas of your terminal, evolve a port administrative process where online tracking and traceability of containers in your terminal is practicable; this will engender transparency and facilitate speedy clearance process and reduce the incessant crowding at the market hall premises.
d) Deploy online operational solutions in handling minor disputes, complaints and challenges.
e) Boost and sustain a robust e-commerce transactions for payment of bills, stop the monopoly of a one bank system for bill payment.
f) Stop imposition (exploitative) and illogical charges – a subtle arm twisting of the Shippers via progressive storage charges. It may interest you to know that thousands of containers in your terminal are trapped for reasons related to cumulative progressive storage and imposed charges presently accumulated on the containers are far higher than the import content value when added to the payable Custom Duty; hence, the Shipper finds it difficult to process delivery. Again, most Shippers are presently grappling with economic recession and banks cannot salvage the situation. Wherefore, it behooves on you to consider rebates and concessions to ease over-dwelled containers.
g) The Freight Forwarders can only act based on the mandate of their principal (Shippers), as such, when you have imposed illogical charges on them, thereby making them suffer financial loses above their trading capital and even in most instances indebted to banks. Obviously, there is a limitation to the financial resources available to the Freight Forwarders to utilize in settling such huge charges for all its principals that is the reason why the government made provision for a warehouse where overtime cargos can be warehoused, but you chose to store all overtime cargos in your terminal.
h) Always wear a human face (flexible) in every business dealing, grant waivers to cargo owners (Shippers) who merit an official waiver consideration as in ‘f’ above, downplay high-handedness, stop unholy alliances with shipping lines and be trade facilitation driven.
i) Stop undue operational antics and arm-twisting practices aimed at currying or wetting the ground for additional storage period to your benefit. Also, stop scattering Shippers imports from its original NAMED PORT OF DESTINATION (as covered in contract of afreightment) without their consent and transferring them to equipment lacking and operationally unfit Off-dock terminals in the name of vessel stemming/allocation to maximize space.
j) Be a solution agent to the dilapidated port access road challenges, deploy your corporate social responsibility wisely in this regards, because your terminal receives a higher percentage of cargo/truck traffic. We encourage you to emulate from Dangote Group.
k) Redefine your performance indicators and turn a new leave towards boosting a friendly customer relationship. Promptly generate uncleared cargo lists (UCL) for the Customs, so as to facilitate periodic evacuation of overtime cargo to the government warehouses. We advise you to stop hoarding/withholding overtime containers in your terminal”.
It would be recalled that the Country Manager had during a visit to the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) recently while responding to the call by the ports economic regulator to check congestion in the terminal blamed the problem on freight forwarders.
He said the agents were not coming to clear their goods in good time.
In a right of reply by the Head of Research, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke, the association said the statement from Laursen was a cheap way to transfer blame and operational inadequacies on the forwarders, “so as to divert the attention of the concerned authorities on the impending consequences of port congestion”.
Nweke said the statement from the Country Manager was also without consideration the implication on the country before the international community, adding that such allegation was capable of attracting imposition of congestion levy on goods coming to Nigeria.
Besides, he said, the statement from the APMT boss would give a wrong signal to the international community that Nigerian freight forwarders constitute a clog on the wheel of trade facilitation in the country, which according to him was false.
According to him, the statement casts aspersion on the professional integrity of majority of Nigerian freight forwarders who had in the past four decades paid their dues for the good of the nation’s shipping industry.
The association gave the Country Manager 7days to tender an unreserved professional apology to the Nigerian Freight Forwarders or force them to consider severing long standing cordial business relationship with the company.
The statement also charged the APMT boss to consider a number of measures, including investing more on cargo handling equipment in the terminal to correspond with the cargo volume to check congestion.
Part of the measures, according to NAGAFF, was to wear a “human face and be flexible in every business dealing.
The company was also called upon to stop such allegation as “undue operational antics and arm-twisting practices aimed at currying or wetting the ground for additional storage period to your benefit”
Part of the statement, including requests and allegations from NAGAFF against the APMT boss reads:
“Mr. Country Manager, please give consideration to the following factors promoting port congestion in your terminal operation:
a) Invest massively and dedicate enough cargo handling equipment in correspondence with your cargo volume, so as to increase your present berth production capacity from 14moves per crane to mafi-truck per hour from ship to stack. This will boost vessel dwell and turnaround time at berth. All over the world the application of scanty acquisition of cargo gantry cranes and other handling equipment within the interval of 7years is rather a disservice to the Shippers.
b) Embrace the operational culture of prompt freeing of the export empty containers space at the quay apron. Improve and ensure sound planning of empty containers return and evacuation to origin ports. Always embrace the principle of daily space creation and maximization.
c) Deploy Information Technology driven inventory control model in the stacking areas of your terminal, evolve a port administrative process where online tracking and traceability of containers in your terminal is practicable; this will engender transparency and facilitate speedy clearance process and reduce the incessant crowding at the market hall premises.
d) Deploy online operational solutions in handling minor disputes, complaints and challenges.
e) Boost and sustain a robust e-commerce transactions for payment of bills, stop the monopoly of a one bank system for bill payment.
f) Stop imposition (exploitative) and illogical charges – a subtle arm twisting of the Shippers via progressive storage charges. It may interest you to know that thousands of containers in your terminal are trapped for reasons related to cumulative progressive storage and imposed charges presently accumulated on the containers are far higher than the import content value when added to the payable Custom Duty; hence, the Shipper finds it difficult to process delivery. Again, most Shippers are presently grappling with economic recession and banks cannot salvage the situation. Wherefore, it behooves on you to consider rebates and concessions to ease over-dwelled containers.
g) The Freight Forwarders can only act based on the mandate of their principal (Shippers), as such, when you have imposed illogical charges on them, thereby making them suffer financial loses above their trading capital and even in most instances indebted to banks. Obviously, there is a limitation to the financial resources available to the Freight Forwarders to utilize in settling such huge charges for all its principals that is the reason why the government made provision for a warehouse where overtime cargos can be warehoused, but you chose to store all overtime cargos in your terminal.
h) Always wear a human face (flexible) in every business dealing, grant waivers to cargo owners (Shippers) who merit an official waiver consideration as in ‘f’ above, downplay high-handedness, stop unholy alliances with shipping lines and be trade facilitation driven.
i) Stop undue operational antics and arm-twisting practices aimed at currying or wetting the ground for additional storage period to your benefit. Also, stop scattering Shippers imports from its original NAMED PORT OF DESTINATION (as covered in contract of afreightment) without their consent and transferring them to equipment lacking and operationally unfit Off-dock terminals in the name of vessel stemming/allocation to maximize space.
j) Be a solution agent to the dilapidated port access road challenges, deploy your corporate social responsibility wisely in this regards, because your terminal receives a higher percentage of cargo/truck traffic. We encourage you to emulate from Dangote Group.
k) Redefine your performance indicators and turn a new leave towards boosting a friendly customer relationship. Promptly generate uncleared cargo lists (UCL) for the Customs, so as to facilitate periodic evacuation of overtime cargo to the government warehouses. We advise you to stop hoarding/withholding overtime containers in your terminal”.
It would be recalled that the Country Manager had during a visit to the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) recently while responding to the call by the ports economic regulator to check congestion in the terminal blamed the problem on freight forwarders.
He said the agents were not coming to clear their goods in good time.
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