| Importers can save N22,030 per container
By Sun News Publishing
Thursday, April
10, 2008
The Managing Director of Maersk Line Nigeria Limited, Mr.
Tom. Knudsen has said that importers would be saving 22,030
on every 40 foot container if only they clear their containers
within 7 days instead of an average of 30 days which currently
obtains at the ports.
The Maersk boss said this at the First Quarterly Business
Luncheon of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
"At the moment, average container dwell time is 30 days
and it takes about N326,798 to clear a 40 foot container in
30 days ", Knudsen said.
Knudsen listed the components of the N326,798 to include:
demurrage N136,500; storage 89,530; direct delivery charge
6,268; security charge 1,000; Customs examination charge 3,500;
MOWCA 580; agents local charges 13,001; port terminal handling
charges 48,300 and agents shipping charges 20,700.
Knudsen said that the Nigerian economy would be saving a whopping
N22,030 on every 40 foot container if agents take delivery
within seven days.
“There will not be need to pay any demurrage at all
if they take delivery in seven days while storage charges
will amount to N6,000 (six thousand naira) only as against
N89,530.
“There are some clients who are already taking their
containers seven days so why can't others do it?" he
queried.
Knudsen also said that contrary to the misrepresentations
of critics, port concession actually saves the Nigerian economy
not less than N24 billion ($200 million) per annum.
"Before port concessioning, there was congestion and
shipping companies charged $1,400 (N161,000) as congestion
s charge on every 40 foot container but three to four months
into port concessioning, congestion and vessel queue has been
eliminated so the surcharge has also been removed.
"This is quite significant but nobody is talking about
it. I think we should always remember that", Knudsen
said.
Speaking earlier, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, Asiwaju S. K. Onafowokan expressed concerns
about what he described as "some policy and institutional
factors constraining trade facilitation process.”
He listed some of LCCl's concerns to include multiplicity
of government agencies at the ports which according to him
"sometimes force their ways to play a role in cargo examination"
.
"This phenomenon comes with all manner of extortionist
practices apart from the avoidable delays" and consequential
costs", he said.
Other constraints at the port, according to the LCCI President,
include partial implementation of customs reforms especially
the computerization component (ASYCUDA) and weak capacity
in some banks in the area of imports and exports documentation
which impedes the speed of documentation and the release of
goods.
"Government intervened on a number of occasions to address
some of these concerns but for some inexplicable reasons,
these interventions were either not sustained or were unsustainable",
Onafowokan stated.
He however commended Maersk Line for its outstanding and genuine
effort in modernizing shipping practice and port operations
in Nigeria. |
