Freight forwarders, customs agents and trade associations at the Tema Port, yesterday, protested against what they described as exploitative charges imposed by shipping lines.
The protesters, included members of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), the Association of Customs House Agents (ACHAG) , Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana (FFAG) and Customs Brokers Association of Ghana (CUBAG).
Numbering about 200, the leadership of the protestors submitted petitions to the management of the Mediterranean Shipping Company; CMA-CGM, a French container transportation and shipping company; Grimaldi Ghana Limited and Maersk Line shipping.
They gave a 14-day ultimatum to the shipping lines to address their concerns and threatened further actions if their demands were not addressed.
The protesters were particularly outraged by fees such as demurrage charges during weekends and public holidays, which they argued were unfair because they could not process clearances during those times.
They also criticised charges like container cleaning fees, empty container fees and other local administrative fees many of which were pegged to the US dollar in violation of local regulations.
The protesters claimed the charges made the cost of doing business at the port unbearable, driving some importers to use alternative ports, such as Togo.
They were also concerned about the impact on Ghana’s foreign exchange reserves, as shipping lines reportedly repatriate large amounts of foreign currency, weakening the local currency and the economy as a whole.
At the Intermodal Shipping Agencies Ghana Limited, the protesters were denied entry and audience with the reason that they were not performing any administrative work to warrant the receipt of the petition.
A press statement read by the former President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Kwabena Ofosu Appiah, said several advocacy efforts and dialogue held in the past years yielded no results hence the protest.
The statement demanded the abolishment of demurrage charges on weekends and holidays, the negotiation of shipping lines’ charges with the Ghana Shippers Authority and a refund of all unjustified fees previously collected from shippers and freight forwarders.
The statement also demanded a provision of a 24-hour service seven days a week by the shipping lines to eliminate unnecessary delays and ensure timely processing of goods especially during weekends and holidays, cessation of customs house service brokerage by shipping lines and a cessation of the practice of charging fees in dollars.
FROM KEN AFEDZI, TEMA
