REGULATORY DIRECTIVE AND COMPLIANCE NOTICE
EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediate.
APPLICABILITY: All Shipping Lines, Shipping Agencies, and Maritime Operators functioning within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
PREAMBLE & FINDINGS:
WHEREAS the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is statutorily mandated to promote efficiency, transparency, and customer-oriented service delivery within the Nigerian shipping industry and port sector.
NOTING persistent infractions characterized by discourteous, dismissive, and unethical communication from shipping companies to consignees, agents, and port users concerning critical operational milestones, including cargo arrivals, export cargo evacuation, and operational approvals.
NOTING FURTHER the unlawful and dilatory practice wherein shipping companies withhold operational approvals or decisions under the pretext of awaiting instructions or authorization from foreign parent companies or principals.
AWARE THAT such operational bottlenecks directly precipitate:
- Prolonged cargo dwell times and severe supply chain disruptions;
- Unjustifiable accrual of demurrage, storage, and associated financial liabilities;
- Subversion of export windows and frustration of trade facilitation; and
- Direct contravention of national policies aimed at improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
MANDATORY COMPLIANCE DIRECTIVES
NOW, THEREFORE pursuant to its regulatory powers, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council hereby issues the following strict directives to all operating shipping companies:
- Obligation of Timely Communication: Every shipping line or agency shall maintain formal, responsive, and professional communication channels, ensuring expeditious answers to all inquiries raised by consignees or their duly authorized representatives regarding import operations.
- Strict Adherence to Operational Schedules: Shipping entities shall furnish accurate, verified, and binding schedules relating to export cargo acceptance, loading timelines, vessel departures, and evacuation logistics, and shall be held strictly liable for adherence thereto.
- Prohibition of Extraneous Administrative Delays: Internal administrative protocols-specifically the requirement to secure secondary authorizations from international principals-shall not constitute a valid legal or operational defense for delays that impose financial prejudice upon port users or obstruct trade.
SANCTIONS AND ENFORCEMENT:
Breach of Regulations: Any failure, default, or refusal to comply with the stipulations contained within this Notice shall constitute an actionable violation of the regulatory framework governing the Nigerian maritime sector.
Regulatory Penalties: Non-compliant entities shall be subjected to stringent administrative, financial, and legal sanctions pursuant to applicable Nigerian laws, statutory regulations, and enforcement directives issued by the Council.
Signed:
Management, Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
