As part of its effort to reduce the cost of doing business at ports, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) said that it has reviewed the earlier published annual registration fee for all service providers operating in the nation’s seaport.
With the newly reviewed fee, the Council will not only cut down the fees to be paid by these service providers, but will also reduce the cost of doing business at the port.
A breakdown of the new fees shows that Seaport Terminal Operators, who are supposed to pay N100,000 as registration fee, will now pay N50,000; stevedoring companies and warehouse operators that supposed to pay N20,000 before, will now pay N5,000; while shipping lines and shipping agencies that were to N100,000, will now pay N50,000.
Also, inland container depot operators, who supposed to pay N50,000, will now pay N25,000; off dock terminals registration fee was reduced from N20,000 to N10,000; freight forwarders and clearing agents fees were reduced from N10,000 to N5,000; haulage companies fee was cut down from N10,000 to N5,000.
Other include, shippers who will be paying N1,000; cargo surveyors to pay N5,000 and shippers associations fee was reduce from N20,000 to N5,000.
BusinessDay understands that the registration, which is aimed at regulating the activities of the service providers, will ensure quality service delivery and eradication of quackery in the maritime industry. It will also enable the regulator to sufficiently protect indigenous operators from the dominance of foreigners.
Speaking exclusively to BusinessDay in an interview, Hassan Bello, executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), who described the registration as the basic and a one-off, said that it was of much interest how people reacted to newly introduced registration fee for the service providers at the port.
Bello said that the reaction was good because Nigerian Shippers’ Council must consult stakeholders before taking certain actions, adding that stakeholders have the right to make observations.
According to him, the reactions show that no stakeholder has issue with the registration because it is good to have database, rather the issues raised were around the cost of the registration fee.
“Some people have started to register but some people complained that the fee was on the high side and I think that they were right. This was why Nigerian Shippers Council has to look at the fees again. Shippers Council is the one to reduce the cost of doing business and not to increase the cost. Now, we have brought down the fees,” Bello added.
Continuing, Bello said: “We have listened to the reactions of the people and we are going to the public with the new fees. We do not need much enforcement because Shippers Council is the one to offer services to these providers. If a provider is not registered with us, there will be sanction but I do not think that sanction will be necessary.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
