Shippers’ Council To Host Stakeholders Over Tariff Review Next Week, Agents Explain Protest

Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) is set to engage stakeholders over the recent upward review of shipping charges for shipping lines.

As a result, it has invited relevant stakeholders for the engagement on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

It had directed shipping companies to suspend the new charges and engage stakeholders following the protest on Monday by freight agents at the premises of the Mediterranean Shipping Company(MSC) in Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria over the reviewed charges.

The protest disrupted business activities with huge economic losses to the shipping line and consequent demurrage accrued for shippers.

MMS Plus gathered that it was disturbing to a cross section of maritime stakeholders to hear that freight agents stated that they were not worried about the increase in charges but concerned about the fact that they were not consulted before the review was effected, raising the question on whether the freight agents lack confidence in the Council that granted the approval or in the process of the approval which have established economic and regulatory framework.

In response, an official of the Council said, ” When they(a coalition of freight agents) wrote to the Council last December, 2025, they stated they would be on holiday for three weeks to resume in January, 2026. So, we are working towards Wednesday,next week, for the stakeholders’ engagement with all the shipping lines and agents in attendance”.

This further raised the issue of compliance with regulatory guidelines, with the concern that freight agents’ charges for clearing services are neither determined by any cost factor nor are the variables known to their clients or regulatory authorities. They slam fees on their clients at will without prior information or benchmark.

Meanwhile, investigations revealed that not all shipping lines got approvals for upward review of charges because they refused to show their books-transparency.

MMS Plus believes that the forum on Wednesday should also host a preliminary talk on determining a cost threshold for categories of cargo clearance and delivery, which the freight agents have avoided for decades.

Debunking that there was never a 400 per cent increase in charges as asserted by freight agents in their various media reports, insisting it was all fallacies and propaganda,the
Nigeria’s Port Economic Regulator, the NSC, has directed all shipping companies, shipping agents, and terminals operating within Nigerian ports to suspend and refrain from implementing any review or upward adjustment of their charges until they have fully engaged their stakeholders.

The Council in a press statement noted that the recent adjustment was approved strictly in accordance with its statutory mandate as the Port Economic Regulator.

The Council affirmed that all tariff reviews were conducted in a transparent, structured, and well-defined regulatory process. These processes included detailed technical and consultative engagement with affected service providers, aimed at examining the cost drivers, operational realities, investment obligations, and regulatory compliance.

The engagements did not constitute automatic approvals; rather, they informed a broader evaluative process. Final determinations were reached only after rigorous internal, technical, and financial assessments guided by empirical evidence, regulatory benchmarks, and prevailing economic conditions.

The Council warned that it would wield the big stick against any port service providers disrupting port operations.

The Council emphasised that transparency, fairness, and stakeholder participation are fundamental principles underpinning port economic regulation in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Dr. Pius Akutah reiterated that the Council is empowered under its regulatory mandate to apply appropriate sanctions against defaulting operators, including enforcement measures provided for under relevant regulatory frameworks. He encourages constructive engagement, dialogue, and compliance.

However, any service provider that proceeds with charge reviews without stakeholders’ engagement should be prepared to face decisive regulatory action.

He assured that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council remains committed to protecting the interests of port users, promoting fair competition, and ensuring a balanced and predictable business environment within the Nigerian maritime industry.

Freight agents have argued however that the review was insensitive to prevailing economic realities which have shown foreign exchange moderation and price stability lately.

MSC in confidence to MMS Plus has argued that they pay Federal Government obligations in dollars yet render services in naira, a development that suggests huge operations cost.
“What the economic regulator approved was more of a palliative if you put our running costs and service charges side by side,” an MSC official affirmed.