Shippers unhappy over security levy
Some shippers have expressed disenchantment over payment of money huge sums of money to personnel of the Nigeria Navy to escort their vessels for safety.
They explained that they were constrained to do it because of the prevalence of violent attacks on vessels over which owners had to hire security to escort vessels to ports and platforms in the Nigeria Felt areas
The shippers said that the navy should be the one to provide their vessels security on the waters and not levy them for it.
Mrs Rollens Macfoy, Executive Director, Operations, Ocean deep Marin services said “as a task paying entity it will be wrong for firms to hire security to operate on the waters.
“It is absurd and a negation of the government’s effort on the ease of doing business in the Nigerian ports.
“The trend of paying or hiring security on individual company basis to accompany vessels should be jettisoned,” she said.
According to her the shipper’s overhead cost which has shot up due to the levy will have been used for other things.
Mr James Okafor, of the Red Star Logistics said that contrary to some agencies claims, that sea robbery was high in the Nigeria waters.