Come July 1, Nigeria’s export products may be rejected if they or the containers in which they are loaded are not weighed before being loaded onto ships.
The rule, which is a convention of the International Maritime Organisation, is expected to become effective for all member nations by July 1. It is estimated that new rule will cost shippers $5bn in additional costs as a huge investment will be required to install the weighing mechanisms at seaports worldwide.
Currently, containers leaving the country and their contents are not being weighed. Shippers are only required to estimate the weight of the contents of the containers.
The President, Shippers Association of Lagos, Mr. Jonathan Nicol, said, “The IMO has said vessels are sinking on the high seas because they are overloaded. Right now, they want the actual weight of each cargo loaded in a container.
“If the containers or their contents are not weighed, your cargo will not be loaded on the ships. We expect a lull in cargo movement, especially for exports, until we get used to the new system.”
Nicol added that the association had suggested that Nigeria and some African countries that had yet to acquire the weighing machines should be exempted from the rule until they were fully prepared, but noted that it was unlikely that the request would be granted.
He explained, “The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development met with shippers, the Nigeria Shippers’ Council and the Union of African Shippers Council in Abuja two weeks ago on this issue.
“Although we appealed for an extension, we were told that we had one year to prepare; so, there was nothing they could do. The agreement was that both the terminal operators and the Nigerian port authorities should have these calibrated scales for weighing containers. The NSC would have to carry out more enlightenment about all these things because it has been aware of it all along and did nothing about it,” he said.
Nicol added that the new rule, which applies to containerised cargos and tankers carrying dangerous goods like chemicals, would not be enforced on bulk cargos, and appealed for the Federal Government’s intervention in order to avoid the rejection of Nigerian exports due to non-compliance with the rule.
The Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, said, “Weighing containerised cargos may not increase the cost of shipping in the long run. We have been weighing containers in Nigeria; it is not anything new. The IMO is just insisting on enforcement now because some shippers don’t declare the actual weight of their containers.
“If the correct weight of a container is not included in the bill of lading, the ship may be overloaded and capsize. The facility is already there; shipping companies and terminal operators already have weigh bridges. Nigeria does not have any problem with the deadline.”
Source: Punch
