NPA suspends Maersk and COSCO for inoperativity

The Ports Authority of Nigeria (NPA) suspends the maritime transport services of Maersk Line, Cosco Shipping and two other shipping companies for ten days, starting on July 14. The penalty obeys to their inoperativity with the handling of containers at ports.

In summary, the shipping lines of Denmark and China together with APS and Lansal were suspended after an NPA investigation showed that the companies did not comply with the directive to acquire and operate cargo hold bays.

Shipping companies have not been able to use their storage compartments or do not have adequate capacity to handle the volume of containers with which they treat, NPA reported to WMN.

“It was also discovered that some of these companies import a larger number of containers than the empty containers exported, which makes the country an empty container depot.”

These behaviors have contributed to the persistent congestion around the Lagos Port Complex (LPC) and the Tin Can Island Port (TCIP), which extends to other parts of the Lagos metropolis.

Upon the expiration of this suspension, the Port Authority of Nigeria said that it would review the level of compliance of the affected companies with their directives.

Provision of regulatory bodies for handling containers

Unfortunately, each country has a different container balance. Therefore, it usually has complications derived from the difference between the exported and imported units. However, the regulatory entities of each country must ensure that the idle time of empty containers in each country is reduced and that the control of entry and exit of the units is transparent.

In the case of ports; these are sometimes subject to forced negotiations establishing free pool services or a container storage space for shipping lines. This negotiation can turn into lost profit and congestion if the national regulation does not stipulate the maximum days that a unit should remain in a country.