Arbitrary Charges Case: NSC, Shipping Service Providers Working to Settle Out of Court, Says FG
Law and justice of Nigeria concept with a 3d render of a gavel on a wooden desktop and the Nigerian flag on background.
By Francis Ugwoke
There are strong moves to have an out of court settlement between the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and shipping service providers over the case of arbitrary charges which has been on for about eight years now.
This was confirmed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Dr Madgalene Ajani, while addressing stakeholders at a one-day sensitization programme under the theme, “Promoting Competitiveness and Compliance in Nigerian Maritime Industry: Mandate of the NSC in Focus”
Ajani said discussions were ongoing to settle the case out of court.
It would be recalled that the Association of Shipping Lines Agency (ALSA) and the Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) had in 2014 dragged the NSC to court challenging its powers and actions taken on some shipping charges as the ports economic regulator.
The Council had stopped some shipping charges introduced by ALSA and insisted that all the shipping service providers must seek its approval before introducing new charges.
The NSC had won the case in both the High and Appeal courts before the service providers decided to go to the Supreme Court.
In one of the judgment, the Court which upheld the appointment of the Council as Economic Regulator had ordered that the service providers refund all the charges they have been collecting from importers from the time the NSC issued regulatory notice in 2014.
There are strong moves to have an out of court settlement between the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and shipping service providers over the case of arbitrary charges which has been on for about eight years now.
This was confirmed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport, Dr Madgalene Ajani, while addressing stakeholders at a one-day sensitization programme under the theme, “Promoting Competitiveness and Compliance in Nigerian Maritime Industry: Mandate of the NSC in Focus”
Ajani said discussions were ongoing to settle the case out of court.
It would be recalled that the Association of Shipping Lines Agency (ALSA) and the Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) had in 2014 dragged the NSC to court challenging its powers and actions taken on some shipping charges as the ports economic regulator.
The Council had stopped some shipping charges introduced by ALSA and insisted that all the shipping service providers must seek its approval before introducing new charges.
The NSC had won the case in both the High and Appeal courts before the service providers decided to go to the Supreme Court.
In one of the judgment, the Court which upheld the appointment of the Council as Economic Regulator had ordered that the service providers refund all the charges they have been collecting from importers from the time the NSC issued regulatory notice in 2014.
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