BACKGROUND
It has become the practice for Terminal Operators or Shipping Companies as the case may be to transfer cargoes by barges from the ports’ terminals to off-dock terminals either on the request of consignees or as a way of decongesting the Ports or facilitating delivery of Containers by the Consignees.
This practice has been strongly supported by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) due to traffic congestion and poor state of the Ports’ Access Roads within and around the Apapa and Tincan areas of Lagos State.
The NPA has however on several occasions warned Terminal Operators and/or Shipping Companies against the imposition of charges on barging services not requested to by the consignees and threatened to sanction any defaulters.