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MSC Suspends New Tariff Hike as Nigerian Shippers’ Council Orders Stakeholder Talks
MSC Suspends New Tariff Hike as Nigerian Shippers’ Council Orders Stakeholder Talks
By Raymond Gold, Co-publisher and Research Reporter, Waterways News
The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has put the brakes on its newly introduced tariff increase following a regulatory directive from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), which mandated wider consultation with industry stakeholders before any new rates take effect.
In a customer advisory titled “Temporary Suspension of New Tariff Implementation,” the global shipping giant confirmed that its previous tariff structure will remain in force pending the conclusion of ongoing engagement with the NSC.
MSC said the suspension was a direct response to regulatory intervention, assuring customers that rates in place before the increase would continue to apply until further notice.
“We wish to inform our esteemed customers that the recently implemented tariff adjustment has been temporarily suspended, following a directive from the NSC,” the company stated, adding that further updates would be issued once the regulator reaches a definitive position.
The development is significant for Nigerian shippers, importers and freight forwarders, many of whom had raised concerns over the financial burden the new tariffs would impose on cargo movement through Nigerian ports.
“We wish to inform our esteemed customers that the recently implemented tariff adjustment has been temporarily suspended, following a directive from the NSC,”
MSC, one of the largest ocean carriers operating on the Nigerian trade lane, pledged full commitment to regulatory compliance and transparency throughout the process, and promised to communicate any outcome from the NSC’s final decision promptly.
The NSC, which serves as the economic regulator of the Nigerian shipping industry, has increasingly asserted its oversight role over shipping lines operating in the country, particularly on tariff-related matters affecting shippers.
Waterways News will continue to monitor developments and report on the outcome of the NSC’s stakeholder consultations.