Freight forwarders under the umbrella of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have faulted the refund process of Maersk Line’s container deposit.
They say the account statements for the container deposit refund by Maersk Line don’t reflect the bill of lading number as the narrative, thereby making it difficult for freight forwarders to know which container deposit refund was paid for.
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This was contained in a letter addressed to the shipping line titled, ‘Complaint on Non-Reflection of Bill of Lading Number as Narrative on Refund Account Statement,’ signed by Afam Chukwuma, deputy national president, Seaports for NAGAFF.
The group said that ensuring clarity in the narrative on the payments will enable freight forwarders to differentiate which refund is paid for.
“We wish to bring to your notice the complaint we have received from members of NAGAFF, based on the fact that the refunds paid from Maersk Line shipping company do not come with a Bill of Lading number as the narrative, to be able to distinguish which of the refund was paid for and which was not.
“Based on this, we hereby advise that Maersk Line should, as a matter of urgency, address this anomaly as such is not being experienced while dealing with other shipping companies,” the letter reads in apart.
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While stating that the challenge may be from the banks used by the shipping company, the group advised Maersk Line to enforce change by communicating the ideal payment instructions clearly to the commercial banks.
NAGAFF however urged Maersk Line to address the issue speedily as future complaints from its members will result in further escalation of the matter.
