APM Terminal sabotaging trade facilitation at Apapa Port –Customs cry out
…Alerts World Bank that AP Moller deliberately hinder quick cargo clearance at Apapa Port ...They delay positioning of containers to collect demurrages— Agent alleges
Maureen Aguta
Against the backdrop of rising complaints by port users that AP Moller Apapa Terminals has become notorious for deliberate delays of cargo clearance, causing shippers huge losses to demurrage payments, the Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has queried the said negative attitude of the Terminal Operator, saying the behavior is countering the trade facilitation efforts of the command.
Speaking while hosting the Committee on National Trade Facilitation and the World Bank at the command on Monday, the command said AP Moller practices delay tactics in Cargo Examination so that shippers consignment with accumulate demurrage on containers for selfish economic reasons.
Explaining the delay in cargo examinations and the short time allocated to container examinations at the command, Deputy Comptroller in charge of Revenue, Wale Adenuga accused AP Moller of deliberately delaying container positioning so that the containers will incur huge demurrage payable by freight forwarders.
“APMT is working for its selfish interest.
“Because of their selfish interest to generate money from demurrages, they deliberately delay positioning of containers.
” A demurrage on a container attracts N65, 000 a day and the more days a container spends at their terminal, the more money the agent pays. When an examination is not conducted on time, people are frustrated and it leads to delay.
“We have tried from our end to make them see reasons but it has always been like that. We need to talk sense to APMT.
” Things need to change. They are capitalising on demurrage to make more money and that has led to serious agitation on the side of the stakeholders.” Adenuga lamented.
His position was corroborated by the clearing agents in the command.
Oluwaseyi Adebiyi, the Secretary of the Apapa chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) described AP Moller as the problem of customs agents at Apapa Port.
” AP Moller is our problem at the Apapa Port.
“We have no problem with customs which doesn’t delay to treat your entries.
“But AP Moller has constituted a nuisance to us.
“Can you imagine a foreign terminal operator determining when to position containers for examinations even when Customs and other government agencies are ready?
“Even when we too as agents are ready, AP Moller will decide when to position your containers for examinations” Adebiyi claimed.
He revealed that many a time, customs brokers had wanted to protest this anti-trade attitude of AP Moller but each time, they were prevailed upon by the Customs which advised them not to impede trade.
” Agents are tired of AP Moller’s excesses and exploitation for easy money making,” the Apapa ANLCA scribe said.
Meanwhile, the Trade Facilitation Committee has queried the 12- 4 pm schedule for examinations of containers, saying four hours are inadequate to make significant progress in container examinations.
The customs and the agents told the committee that they were ready even for examinations at 8 am but it was the decision of the terminal operator to commence examinations at 12 and stop by 4 pm.
DC Adenuga also noted that AP Moller lacks the capacity to position containers for scanning, a situation which undermines the capacity of the scanner.
According to him, the scanner has an installed capacity to scan 400 containers a day but due to the logistics inefficiency of the terminal operator, the command scans only 120 containers a day, thus underutilising the machine.