The Nigerian Shipper’s Council (NSC) has announced that it has generated more than N2.5 billion in revenue from demurrages and other charges between the years 2020 and 2022. The agency made this known in its periodic newsletter titled ‘Complaint ’ on Wednesday. It stated that this amount could have been lost to shipping companies and terminal operators if not recovered on behalf of the trading public.
According to the NSC, shippers recorded the highest number of complaints in 2021, with 648 cases handled and N2.5 billion recovered on their behalf. Despite the decrease in cargo volume at the country’s seaports, demurrage and detention have remained high, observed the port economic regulator.
The council further explained that some of the complaints received were related to excessive charges, container deposit refunds, demurrage, and damage to cargo, among others. Demurrage charges are payable to the owner of a chartered ship on failure to load or discharge the ship within the agreed time.
