Shippers’ Council Okays Shipping Lines Request for Rise in Charges, Approves Marginal Increase
By Chinonso Apeh
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has approved an increase in shipping charges for shipping services providers.
The ports economic regulator in approving the review, however, requested the shipping companies to embark on sensitization of shippers before the new charges are implemented.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary, Dr. Pius Akutah during an engagement with stakeholders at its Apapa, Lagos, office.
Akutah disclosed that the shipping lines have been asking for the increase since January this year.
Akutah who was represented on the occasion by the Director of Regulatory Services, Mrs Margaret Ogbonna, disclosed that the Council reviewed some of the shipping charges.
The Council, however, said that it was not all the nomenclatures of charges that were reviewed, adding, “but those that have been impacted by the indices affecting you and I in our personal lives”.
He said, “So, for those ones, we approved a marginal increase, but they are to first of all carry their customers along and discuss it first. Two of them have carried out these discussions and said the customers now understand the need for that marginal increment”
Akutah also revealed that there are plans to review the ETO electronic call-up system charges collected by Truck Transit Park Limited, explaining that this will be in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
According to him, “We have heard about the Eto Call-Up ticket charges, we have invited TTP, we have invited NPA for discussions over it, TTP came but NPA didn’t come.
“We are aware that when they started, the charge was N10,000, but what we are hearing now is that apart from the increase in charges, there are other syndicate groups playing out at the port gates.
“By January, the Council is set to look into, and review the Eto Call-Up charges, but we would appreciate if we can get some of those invoices so that we would not be speaking out of rumour. We want evidences that we can look at and challenge these nomenclatures”.
On the issue of container insurance replacing container deposit, Akutah said the Council has started discussion with the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to get this effected in line with the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
He said, “The Act took effect from July 2025, we were the ones that stayed action on it by trying to understand what the policy would be to the importers and exporters. There should be a stakeholders engagement meeting where all the processes would be explained.
“The Act would help address several illegality in the sector, everyone would be forced to do the right thing. Taking containers to the holding bay and refusing to receive them, the shipping companies would now be held liable.
Some of the companies have actually stopped the collection of container deposits”.
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has approved an increase in shipping charges for shipping services providers.
The ports economic regulator in approving the review, however, requested the shipping companies to embark on sensitization of shippers before the new charges are implemented.
This was disclosed by the Executive Secretary, Dr. Pius Akutah during an engagement with stakeholders at its Apapa, Lagos, office.
Akutah disclosed that the shipping lines have been asking for the increase since January this year.
Akutah who was represented on the occasion by the Director of Regulatory Services, Mrs Margaret Ogbonna, disclosed that the Council reviewed some of the shipping charges.
The Council, however, said that it was not all the nomenclatures of charges that were reviewed, adding, “but those that have been impacted by the indices affecting you and I in our personal lives”.
He said, “So, for those ones, we approved a marginal increase, but they are to first of all carry their customers along and discuss it first. Two of them have carried out these discussions and said the customers now understand the need for that marginal increment”
Akutah also revealed that there are plans to review the ETO electronic call-up system charges collected by Truck Transit Park Limited, explaining that this will be in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
According to him, “We have heard about the Eto Call-Up ticket charges, we have invited TTP, we have invited NPA for discussions over it, TTP came but NPA didn’t come.
“We are aware that when they started, the charge was N10,000, but what we are hearing now is that apart from the increase in charges, there are other syndicate groups playing out at the port gates.
“By January, the Council is set to look into, and review the Eto Call-Up charges, but we would appreciate if we can get some of those invoices so that we would not be speaking out of rumour. We want evidences that we can look at and challenge these nomenclatures”.
On the issue of container insurance replacing container deposit, Akutah said the Council has started discussion with the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to get this effected in line with the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
He said, “The Act took effect from July 2025, we were the ones that stayed action on it by trying to understand what the policy would be to the importers and exporters. There should be a stakeholders engagement meeting where all the processes would be explained.
“The Act would help address several illegality in the sector, everyone would be forced to do the right thing. Taking containers to the holding bay and refusing to receive them, the shipping companies would now be held liable.
Some of the companies have actually stopped the collection of container deposits”.
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