Bello Seeks Registration of Barge Operators with Shippers Council
The Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) weekend told the barge operators in Nigeria to register with the ports economic regulator.
Executive Secretary of the Council, Mr Hassan Bello told members of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) during a courtesy visit to his office that this has become imperative to achieve a level playing field in the transport industry.
Describing the barge operators as playing vital economic roles in the industry, Bello explained that to protect the indigenous barge operators, it was important to first consider their proper regulation, including the cabotage Act to see where the operators fit into.
He described barge operation as highly specialised, technical and with economic benefits, adding that there was the need for their regulation for smooth operation.
Bello said, “Barge operations have come to stay, it is helpful to the economy, in the sense that we need to have multimodal approach that will be used to evacuate cargoes from the port.
“It is very important to safeguard barge operations as a means of conveying cargo and bring them out of the port. It is one of the multimodal approach we have always talked about. It will go a long way in making our ports attractive.
“However, barge operation is specialised and a lot of technical and economic regulations isrequired
“I am happy the barge operators came here and we discussed the issues of security, safety and insurance, carriage of goods and many other minimum standards for the crew of the barges themselves and even the jetties where they bring out these goods.
“We are in dialogue because we are concerned with the time, the cargo and the insurance even with the frequency of the sailings.”
President of the BOAN) , Mr. Edema Keliekume, had told the Council that among the challenges of the members was lack of adequate capital to acquire necessary equipment.
He said that foreigners into the business were more equipped than their Nigerian counterparts.
He said that lack of access to necessary funding, including high interest rates on loans have remained the issues that the operators were facing.
He disclosed that while their foreign counterparts were enjoying zero interest rates on their funding, it was a different ball game for their Nigerian counterparts who are being over-taxed’\
He called for singular regulatory agency and singular annual charge for smooth operations.
Executive Secretary of the Council, Mr Hassan Bello told members of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) during a courtesy visit to his office that this has become imperative to achieve a level playing field in the transport industry.
Describing the barge operators as playing vital economic roles in the industry, Bello explained that to protect the indigenous barge operators, it was important to first consider their proper regulation, including the cabotage Act to see where the operators fit into.
He described barge operation as highly specialised, technical and with economic benefits, adding that there was the need for their regulation for smooth operation.
Bello said, “Barge operations have come to stay, it is helpful to the economy, in the sense that we need to have multimodal approach that will be used to evacuate cargoes from the port.
“It is very important to safeguard barge operations as a means of conveying cargo and bring them out of the port. It is one of the multimodal approach we have always talked about. It will go a long way in making our ports attractive.
“However, barge operation is specialised and a lot of technical and economic regulations isrequired
“I am happy the barge operators came here and we discussed the issues of security, safety and insurance, carriage of goods and many other minimum standards for the crew of the barges themselves and even the jetties where they bring out these goods.
“We are in dialogue because we are concerned with the time, the cargo and the insurance even with the frequency of the sailings.”
President of the BOAN) , Mr. Edema Keliekume, had told the Council that among the challenges of the members was lack of adequate capital to acquire necessary equipment.
He said that foreigners into the business were more equipped than their Nigerian counterparts.
He said that lack of access to necessary funding, including high interest rates on loans have remained the issues that the operators were facing.
He disclosed that while their foreign counterparts were enjoying zero interest rates on their funding, it was a different ball game for their Nigerian counterparts who are being over-taxed’\
He called for singular regulatory agency and singular annual charge for smooth operations.
FOLLOW US
About Post Author
