NPA slams 10-day suspension on Maerskline, three others for failing to use holding bays

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The Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) has
announced a 10-day suspension of the services of Maerskline, Cosco Shipping,
APS, and Lansal for their failure to comply with the Authority’s directives on
the use of holding bays.

It is on record that the NPA had
threatened sanctions against shipping lines and terminal operators who fail to
comply with its directive to provide and use holding bays for their containers.

The NPA said the decision was part of efforts to resolve the protest by
truck drivers at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) and the Tin Can Island Port
(TCIP) Lagos.

In a statement on Friday in Lagos,
the NPA said that the sanction on the affected Shipping Companies; Maerskline,
Cosco Shipping, APS and Lansal takes effect from Saturday, July 14th,
2018.

The NPA said that at the expiration
of this suspension it would review the level of the companies’ compliance to
its directives.

It would be recalled that in
November, 2017, an agreement was reached between the NPA, Shipping Companies
and Terminal Operators on the provision of holding bays for their containers
through the newly adopted Call-Up system for trucks.

The NPA explained that the suspension
of the four Shipping Companies, follows the Authority’s checks, which revealed
that they had failed to comply with the directive to acquire and operate
holding bays as they have either failed to utilize their holding bays at all or
do not have adequate capacity to handle the volume of containers that they deal
with.

It said that some of those companies
had also been found to import a larger number of containers than empty
containers exported thereby making the country a dumping ground for empties.

According to the NPA, the conducts contributed to the persistent
congestion around the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) and the Tin Can Island Port
(TCIP), spreading to other parts of the Lagos metropolis where truck drivers
with no immediate business at the ports now park their trucks on the express
roads.

Stakeholders have agreed that while
the Call-Up system through the ports management, as advised by shipping
companies would remain in force, personnel of the Nigerian Navy would
discontinue the issuance of call-ups, even though they would remain on the
traffic management team.

In a related vain, the NPA Management
reiterated that the planned introduction of a new service charge called “Empty
positioning fee” by shipping lines is illegal and should not be honoured by any
operator.

Meanwhile, the NPA Management had
said that henceforth, it would be embarking on regular compliance checks of the
operations of holding bays by shipping companies and terminal operators and
stressed that defaulters would be sanctioned.

The Management expressed gratitude to
all stakeholders for their cooperation and understanding over the perennial
traffic congestion along the Apapa and Tin Can Island axis and efforts to find
a lasting solution to the problem.