Shippers Council accuses shipping lines of distorting facts

The Nigerian Shippers Council has berated shipping lines and agencies in Nigeria for allegedly distorting facts about the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN), which implementation started in Nigeria recently.
The Shippers Council also maintained that the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) which the agency is implementing is at no cost to the shippers, but that the inherent cost are to be borne by‎ the international shipping lines and carriers.
The council has equally accused the international shipping lines and their agents in Nigeria; the Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) of creating disaffection among the organized private sector in Nigeria by promoting falsehood that ICTN will add to the cost of business.
While explaining the cost element of the CTN, Director of Commercial Shipping Services of Shippers Council; Mrs Dabney Shall-Holma said that the CTN cost does not come with additional cost to importers or exporters.
She explained that contrary to the falsehood that is being spread by agents of shipping lines in Nigeria, the administrative cost is expected to be paid by the shipping lines, who according to her are already charging Nigerians for it.
According to Shall-Holma, the shipping lines and agents are trying to fight off the implementation of CTN because they are aware that it will address wastages in the system and create choices for the shipper.
The Shippers Council director explained that the charges released in the document published by the shippers council recently was meant to guide shipping lines and agencies in the preparation of their documents.
“They are trying to truncate the ICTN because they are the same shipping companies dealing with all the 18 countries in West and Central Africa implementing cargo tracking note and in those countries they pay 65Euro per TEU, the lowest cost is 35Euros. But here we are charging $25 per TEU, which is less than a quarter of the 65Euros charged by other countries, but they are not worried about that because they know that Nigeria controls 75% of the cargoes,” she added.
She however maintained that “The issue of transparency is what is causing the problems here, they don’t want you to know how much they are charging you‎ per unit, but we are insisting.