Shippers Council Begins Registration of Port Service Providers, Issues 1-Month Ultimatum

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) on Thursday in Lagos called on all regulated service providers at Nigerian ports to regularise their registrations with the council within the next one month or face sanctions.

The Executive Secretary, Mr Hassan Bello gave the warning at a sensitisation clinic for regulated service providers, which is the 2nd phase for Shipping companies, Terminal operators and inland Container Dry Ports.

The annual registration fees for all operators are as follows: Seaport Terminal Operators – N50,000, Shipping Lines Agencies – N50,000, Inland Container Depots/ Dry Port Operators – N25,000, Shipping Agency (Non-Vessel Operating Agency) – N10,000, Cargo Consolidators/ De-consolidators – N10,000, Off Dock / Bonded Terminal Operators – N10,000, Freight Forwarders & Licensed Customs Agents – N5,000, Barge Operators – N5,000, Hauliers -N5,000, Stevedoring Companies – N5,000, Shippers Associations -N5,000, Cargo Surveyors -N5,000, Jetty Operators – N5,000, Shippers – N1,000, Other Service Providers and Users – N5,000.

Bello said the Council reserves the rights to review the rates.

Bello who was represented by Mr Cajetan Agu, Director, Consumer Affairs Department of NSC, said that some of the sactions as contained in the councils regulation was first and second warning, delisting, sealing off amongst others.

He noted that since the first sensitisation clinic that took place on Jan. 31, 2019, only few regulated service providers had registered.

He listed the regulated service providers as: ports authority, seaport terminal operators, shipping companies, offdock terminal/bonded warehouses.

He said others are; cargo consolidators, logistics service providers, freight forwarders, inland container depot operators, stevedoring companies and others.

According to Bello, the registration of regulated service providers is in line with part 2, section 41 of the NSC Port Economic Regulation of 2015.

“The purpose of this clinic is to provide guidelines, rates and modalities for registration online with the NSC portal.

“At the first sensitisation programme in 2019, participants raised issue of high registration fee, stating that it adds to cost of doing business and this was reviewed downwards, but surprisingly some regulated service providers did not pay.

“It is hoped that stakeholders will avail themselves of this opportunity and participate in the sensitisation clinic and equally register with the NSC thereafter for those who are yet to register with us.

“Stakeholders should not take our persuasion as a form of weakness, they should utilise the one month grace period and register or sanctions will be meted out,” he said.

He listed some benefits attached to registration as: compliance with the law, knowing of customers, deals with issue of authenticating the genuiness of port service providers to be able to control entry and exist of service providers to the port.

Others he listed as: regulatory incentives, creating a pool of operators in the port sector, economic planning, to be able to monitor the conduct of providers, free access to complaint mechanism and create platform for consultation.

“When appointed a port regulator, assignments were given to the NSC for them to create an effective regulatory regime at the ports for the control of tariffs, rates, charges and other economic services.

“For shippers council to express these functions as prescribed under the regulation and under operation Know Your Customer, Part 2, Section 4 listed all the regulated service providers at the port.

“And again, under section 4, the listed providers shall register with the council. It is line with this section that we are meeting today, carrying out this sensitisation training for stakeholders.

“So failure to comply will amount to a breach of this regulation and shall attract sanctions as stipulated by our regulation,” he said