OVERTIME CARGOES: Freight Agent Demands Review Of Vehicles Dwell Time To 90 Days

Freight Agents operating at Tin Can Island Port  have  advocated for the Nigeria Customs Service and the House of Representatives on Customs and Excise to conduct a Public Hearing on the need to review the 28-days for overtime cargoes and imported  vehicles to 90-days.

The agents also expressed concerns as over 5,000 vehicles were reportedly trapped at Five Star Logistics Terminal and PTML respectively at Tin Can Island Port Lagos , owing to government flip flop policies.

Giving a breakdown of the figured In a statement made available to our correspondent and signed by the Youth Leader of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) ,  Remilekun Sikiru, there are 3,000 overtime vehicles trapped at the Five Star Logistics terminal while PTML has over 2,000 vehicles.

Aside the figures mentioned, Sikiru added that containers were also trapped at the two facilities due to the unfavourable policies of government in port operations.

He said that these categories of cargoes are also being made to go through the process of overtime clearance and this amounts to double losses.

The statement reads below:

NCS AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE ON CUSTOM EXCISE SHOULD MAKE A PUBLIC REVIEW ON THE 28DAYS OF OVERTIME CARGOES AND VEHICLES.

“In view of the above mentioned, we urge the above authority to take a review on the 28th days place on vehicles and cargoes as this is causing a lot of havoc to the importers.

“A lot of vehicles (containers and RoRo) and cargoes were trapped down in various terminals across the port, based on the harsh policies from the government.

“We appeal to the Federal Government to extend the days, 90days is never a bad idea, because the 28days has caused a lot of difficulties as a result of increments in customs duty, and to run the documents of overtime cargoes sometimes takes 2-months for processing and cost more”

“However, we have more than 3000 overtime vehicles and cargoes in 5star logistics terminal and above 2000 same in PTML terminal which are caused by this harsh policies and operating system, causing a lot of congestion, but they failed to take them to the designated terminal for overtime for more than 3years now” he lamented