Esther Oritse
Lagos — The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has moved to reduce the high freight charges on Nigerian bound cargoes by the European Shipping community through a petition to the United Nations.
The freight rates charged by European shipping community is made worse by the additional imposition of war risk insurance charges due to the to the increased piracy, in the Gulf of Guinea, GoG, a development that eased as a result of Nigeria’s intervention against the menace of pirate attacks on vessels on the Gulf of Guinea, strait.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola accused a cartel of continued collection of this war risk charges despite the drastic reduction in pirate attacks on vessels in the GoG.
Mobereola disclosed that there is a powerful shipping cartel in Europe that has refused to let go the imposition and collection of the war risk charges.
The NIMASA boss also said that the issue of war risk was part of the discussion raised during his recent visit to England.
“One of the issues I raised at the Chatham house was how do we reduce the war risk premium? In all honesty, Nigeria alone cannot do it, we need the International Maritime Organization, IMO to be with us because the war risk premium is set by cartel, they are making so much money, and they would rather keep it as it is, even if we have zero piracy, no sea robbery for the next 10 years.
“If we don’t force the issues, they would continue to charge us but in order to force the issues, we moved our international partners to go with us to meet these insurance companies that for the past three years there had not been piracy, sea robberies and therefore these war risk premium must come down and in coming down it reduces the freight cost for our import and export as well.
“We have engaged them, and we are taking it to the United Nation who would support us, and we would be able to take it to the insurance companies who would have no choice but to reduce it as well. They know the numbers; they are aware of it, but they are just benefitting from it.”
