Blue Economy
NASS Backs NSC on Shipping Tariff Review, Sets Three-Week Deadline For Resolution
NASS Backs NSC on Shipping Tariff Review, Sets Three-Week Deadline For Resolution
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News Correspondent
The House of Representatives Committee on Shipping Services has thrown its weight behind the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in its bid to review tariffs charged by shipping companies operating in Nigerian ports, while directing stakeholders to conclude consultations within three weeks.
Abdussamad Dasuki, Chairman of the Committee, made the position of the National Assembly clear at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja on Monday, stating that lawmakers are in agreement with the NSC on the need for a modest upward review of shipping charges — but insist that all parties must be carried along before implementation.
Dasuki said the NSC’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Pius Akutah, would lead a fresh round of structured engagements involving key agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority, with a firm deadline of three weeks to arrive at an agreed framework and implementation timeline.
Akutah, defending the Council’s stance, maintained that the NSC acted within its mandate as the sector’s economic regulator by directing shipping companies to engage their stakeholders before rolling out any new charges. He acknowledged that while some operators had begun consultations, the depth of those engagements remained patchy, necessitating the Committee-mandated final round of talks.
He assured that ongoing discussions between shipping firms and their clients would not be disrupted, but must be wrapped up ahead of a decisive follow-up session next week, where progress reports will determine the final outcome.
However, not everyone left the meeting satisfied. Boma Alabi, President of the Shipping Association of Nigeria, said no meaningful resolution had been reached, drawing attention to what she described as the absence of a transparent, standardised mechanism for reviewing tariffs in the shipping sector — a contrast, she noted, with more structured frameworks that exist in telecoms and energy.
Alabi argued that the current approach — where individual companies seek tariff approvals separately — wastes time and resources, and called on the Committee to press the NSC to build a more credible, sector-wide system that would command stakeholder confidence.
She also raised operational concerns about the Nigeria Customs Service, citing irregular container auctions and fragmented command structures as persistent pain points for the industry.
On security, Alabi flagged the growing burden on shipping companies from stowaway incidents and investigation-related port delays, warning that carriers are increasingly being made to bear financial and operational costs that fall outside their control. She urged stronger inter-agency coordination, clearer lines of accountability, and improved port security frameworks to address these challenges.
The three-week window set by the Committee is now seen as a critical test of whether the NSC, the legislature, and industry operators can forge a unified path forward on one of the maritime sector’s most contentious issues.
Waterways News | Maritime & Blue Economy Reporting