Apparently dissatisfied with the high cost of water transportation on cargoes within the seaports, the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has appealed for the federal government to intervene and regulate charges of barge operators in Lagos.
COMTUA also stated that review of barge charges on movement of consignments along the waterways would reduce the cost of doing business in the maritime industry.
President of COMTUA ,Comrade Leye Thompson in a chat with DAILYFOCUS NIGERIA, recently disclosed plans of the truckers group to engage the Nigerian Shippers’Council (NSC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on the need to review and regulate pricing of barges.
Thompson noted that review of barge operations cost would be paramount in the reduction of transportation charges of both import and export , adding that over invoicing on consignments have negatively affected cost of commodities in the market.
He said:”We thought that barge operation is going to alleviate the suffering , pains and problem we are facing in the maritime industry but when an operator introduces N250 , 000 ,000 as cost of transportation on consignment via waterway then you are adding to the problem in the sector.
“Ordinarily , if it were to be between N50,000 to N100,000 I think they will get massive patronage but its not so because of the high cost of doing such business.
The COMTUA President reiterated that the absence and poorly regulated operations by government agencies gave room for the high charges imposed on cargoes.
According to him, barge operations was introduced to decongest the port corridors but maintained that the situation has not change due to the high cost imposed on consignment by the operators.
“They are supposed to be competitors to truck owners but as it is I don’t think they are in competition because the trucks are there with most of the consignment because of the high cost .”
By Roland Ekama
