Freight forwarders operating in Lagos ports have shut down business operations at shipping companies in Apapa over the recent hike in charges.

Aggrieved freight agents who are members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Western Zone, trooped out in scores at the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Apapa office, stopping operations at about 1:35 p.m.

They demanded that activities at the shipping company would be closed from 6:00 a.m. daily until the shipping company reverts to its former charges.

The freight agents stressed that the planned increments, coming barely three years after shipping lines raised tariffs by over 400 per cent, are difficult to justify given the relative stabilisation of key cost drivers such as foreign exchange rates and diesel prices.

Speaking on the issue, the Western Zone Coordinator of ANLCA, Femi Anifowose, stressed that the cumulative burden of port-related charges is steadily pushing up the cost of imports, with consequences that will ultimately be borne by consumers.

Anifowose said unchecked shipping charges and persistent operational inefficiencies at the ports are undermining trade facilitation and worsening inflationary pressures in Nigeria’s import-dependent economy.

Beyond the impact of rising charges, Anifowose accused shipping companies operating in Apapa of failing to demonstrate social responsibility to their host communities despite generating substantial revenues from Nigeria’s international trade.

The protests were joined by the other freight forwarding associations, which include the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the African Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), among others.

The NAGAFF Tin Can Chapter Chairman, Dr Emeka Paul Chiedozie, rejected the increase in charges by MSC, also describing the shipping line’s container refund policy as the worst among operators in Nigeria.