Shipping line defies Nigeria Shippers’ Council tariff freeze

…as importers, consumers bear cost

The Nigeria Shippers’ Council ordered shipping lines to halt unauthorised fee hikes six weeks ago. At least one of them has not. And so far, there have been no consequences.

Pacific International Lines (PIL), a Singapore-based container shipping company and one of the major carriers on the West African trade lane, has retained its increment on import charges at Onne Port in Rivers State, despite a January 12 directive from the Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) ordering a freeze on price hikes that were introduced without stakeholder consultation.

PIL notified port users in December of tariff changes taking effect from January 2026 that saw shipping agency fees for 20-foot containers rise from N38,200 to N49,600, and for 40-foot containers from N61,440 to N79,872. The “Nigerian Ports Surcharge” rose from N54,640 to N87,424 for 20-foot containers, and from N109,290 to N174,864 for 40-foot containers, increases of between 30 and 60% depending on the charge.

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Importers, freight forwarders and clearing agents at Onne told BusinessDay that PIL had no meeting with them before raising fees, adding that an additional seven percent surcharge was imposed, overlapping with the seven percent surcharge on Customs duties they already pay.

“You cannot increase handling charges without stakeholder engagement,” said Ifeanyi Isikaku, a customs agent and chairman of the Association of National Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne seaport chapter.

These have pushed up import costs at the port to be passed on to the final consumer.

The Shippers’ Council promised sanctions against non-compliant operators. None have been announced.

Protests were staged last week against the hikes. Isikaku warned that stakeholders would escalate if PIL did not reverse the charges by Friday. “We asked them to remove it this week. If they don’t do it by Friday, we will take action.” He added that other shipping lines might have also retained fees contrary to the Council’s directive, which have been unconfirmed.

“This increment has become necessary to maintain and enhance our operational efficiency,” PIL said in its notice to customers.

Freight forwarders reject that reasoning. “The dollar is coming down. The economy is improving,” they argue.

The NSC, for its part, has done little to quell tensions.

In January, it said the adjustments had been approved “strictly in accordance with its statutory mandate as the port economic regulator,” while clarifying that technical reviews of tariffs did not constitute “automatic approval.”

Margaret Ogbonna, director of regulation at the Shippers’ Council, told BusinessDay that “discussions are going on” with PIL. “The instructions are very clear. It was a conditional approval,” she said.

However, the Council could not confirm whether penalties had been imposed or were forthcoming.

Tochukwu Ezisi, national president of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), said the Council had written to freight forwarders asking them to remain calm, a response he found inadequate.

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“They can’t be talking with them while they are collecting new rates from us. They should go back to the status quo. We’re paying while accruing charges. They should tell PIL to stop immediately.” His association has written to the NSC’s Executive Secretary on the matter.

PIL ships at Onne handles oil and gas as well as containerised and other cargo types. The company, on its website, says it handles about 80,000 TEUs of cargo at Nigeria’s ports annually.

BusinessDay made multiple attempts to reach PIL representatives in Lagos and Onne by phone and text message. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.