Shipping companies should computerise operations —IFFA

Shipping companies should computerise operations —IFFA 20 Aug 2015 2:55 AM  Comfort Oseghale The International Freight Forwarders Association has called on shipping companies in Nigeria to computerise their operations and reduce human contact. At a press briefing in Lagos, the IFFA President, Dr. Sam Onyemelukwe, said the continued encouragement of human contact by shipping companies had compounded the problems of the industry. He said, “Shipping companies in conjunction with the Nigeria Customs Service should make ship manifests available in advance electronically before the ship’s arrival date. This will enable consignees to generate documentation for cargo examination. “They should also interface with freight forwarders in such a manner that their debit and release notes will be accessible online for freight forwarders to process independently.” Onyemelukwe lamented the avoidable delays and demurrage charges caused by the continued manual documentation of shipping operations. He also called on the Federal Government to reassess the port concession regime as it had yet to meet the desired targets. He described the state of abandonment of the port access roads to the Tin Can Island and Lagos Port complex Apapa, as sending signals of the government’s insensitivity. Onyemelukwe said, “We call on the government to see this as an emergency, free the corridors and give these strategic roads a facelift for the smooth transportation of goods and services. “Apart from the gridlock and the attendant loss of man-hours, many businesses on these corridors have been frustrated.” He said it was scary imagining how the country would respond in the event of an emergency, given the numerous tank farms dominating the area and the congestion being experienced on the road. “The FG should urgently introduce functional fiscal regimes that will arrest recession. Directing our energies to build local content and economic activities will shore up the value of the naira. This can be achieved by harnessing our natural resources for export to stabilise our balance of trade and increase naira dominated transactions. “Establishing a national liner of ocean going vessels is also imperative to boost Nigeria’s maritime capacity, reduce capital flight and create employment,” Onyemelukwe said. He lamented the rate at which cheap, substandard products were being imported into the country and the attendant risks as officials of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria were dissipating enormous energy chasing cargo on the roads. “The SON’s inability to be on ground and effectively regulate has resulted in avoidable frictions in the system in the form of traffic problems, stress of chasing goods on the roads and accidents. The FG must look for a way to solve this problem,” he added. Onyemelukwe also accused the present management of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria of misleading the Ministry of Transport to accord it a right not conferred on it. He said the controversial issue bothered on the collection of practising fees from the ports, an action which he described as a core function of the CRFFN Council, which was dissolved in 2012. “The Ministry of Transport should disregard misleading information from the CRFFN management as it would be counterproductive to the Federal Government. “We are ready to collaborate with the ministry to move the CRFFN forward and ensure the body functions effectively,” Onyemelukwe added. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@sirtalentz10.com