Customs agents in Lagos have threatened to withdraw their services from the ports in protest against the collection of shipping line agency charges by shipping companies. The agents issued the threat in a 21-day ultimatum to the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) through their umbrella association, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
The 21 days ultimatum urged the shipping companies to stop the collection of shipping line agency charges or face industrial action.
The foremost customs brokers association said if the collection does not stop, its members will withdraw their services from the seaports.
ANLCA National President, Prince OlayiwolaShittu, said at a joint meeting between the national executive committee, board of trustees and western zone executives of the association held at the ANLCA national secretariat, described the contentious shipping agency line charges as illegal.
Other similar associations in the freight forwarding industry have also joined the call for the withdrawal of the shipping agency line charge. At the said meeting, Prince Shittu read from a letter signed by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFF) on the platform of joint freight forwarding associations committee.
The letter addressed to the Shippers’ Association of Nigeria conveyed the refusal of the freight forwarding associations to continue payment of the charge.
The letter read: “We have severally complained of your illegal charge called shipping line agency charge or import service charge and instead of you to withdraw the illegal charge you have increased it without regard to the relevant authorities and stakeholders.
We shall not accept this charge henceforth and ready to resist to the last end of the illegal charge and other charge. As the representative of the shipping line carrier in Nigeria you are simply agents to the carrier ship owners.”
Shittu said that the association’s threat to withdraw its services is not only on the shipping agency line charges but also because of “other anomalies in the ports.”
He said that Nigerian Shippers’ Council would be notified of the association’s intention and would expect the port regulator to wade into the issue.
