Heterogeneous cargoes inimical to new scanning machines at seaports —Shippers

The President of Lagos Shippers Association, Mr Leo Ogamba, has said that for importers and their customs agents to enjoy the benefits of scanning machines, there is the urgent need for them to be educated on how to pack only homogeneous trade goods in their containers.

Ogamba spoke recently following issues being faced at the Lagos ports over the deployment of scanning machines.

Stating that the re-introduction of cargo scanners by the government was commendable, Ogamba said the next step should be on education on how to perfect the system.

He explained that this was because the “current practice of packing heterogeneous cargo in one container, which accounts for 80 per cent of imported goods, is fatal to the trade facilitation effort of the government.”

He added that “The re-introduction of cargo scanners by the Federal Government is commendable. However, it is to be noted that for shippers to enjoy the benefits of scanning machines which include but limited to trade facilitation, boosting efficiency and security aimed at enhancement of Nigeria’s ranking in both Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and Logistics Performance Index, shippers that desire their containers to be scanned need to be educated on how to be packing only homogeneous trade goods in their containers.”

On physical examination of goods which some importers prefer, he said “the lack of space for stacking, examination, loading, manoeuvring and holding bay in the terminals makes physical examination very cumbersome.

“The terminal operators know or ought to have known the area square meter of terminal concessioned to them in order to control cargo traffic or throughput into the terminal but this is not the current practice.

“The lack of space for terminal operations has additional cost to cargo owners unlike in other climes, where the cargo owners are liable for the failure of terminal operators to deliver their containers for physical examination, loading or for scanning. But in Nigeria, shippers pay for any other service providers’ inefficiency.”