Demurrage: Clearing Agents Urge FG to Stop Charges During Holidays

 

In separate interviews with newsmen in Lagos, the agents said that charging demurrage on work-free days was not proper.

Chief Kunle Folarin, the Chairman, Ports Consultative Council (PCC), said that charging demurrage on such days amounted to cheating the agents.

``The terminal operators should recognise weekends and public holidays as declared by the government and should, therefore, not subject clearing agents to payment of any demurrage during this period.’’

Folarin urged owners of containers to convince the terminal operators and shipping companies not to charge demurrage on public holidays.

``I think it is not really right to charge during the holidays,’’ he said.

Similarly, Mr Eugene Nweke, the President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), noted that while importers did not have access to their cargoes during work-free days, concessionaires still charged demurrage during the period.

He advised clearing agents operating in the ports to lodge their complaints through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) for appropriate intervention.

Also, Mr John Ofobike, the Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Apapa branch, pleaded with the government to engage the services of a commercial regulator to control the activities of the concessionaires.