NSC steps in to resolve major maritime disputes

Mediating major storage issues

NIGERIA: The Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC) has demonstrated its effectiveness as a neutral dispute resolution body, recently mediating two high-stakes maritime disputes in contested storage charges. In both cases, structured mediation delivered substantial financial concessions for the aggrieved parties and averted what could have become protracted commercial stand-offs.

Both cases were managed through the Council's Complaints Unit, with Dr Bashir Ambi Mohammed presiding on behalf of Executive Secretary/CEO Akutah Pius Ukeyima. NSC is the only specialised commercial mediation body in Nigeria's Blue Economy sector with authority to intervene in maritime disputes, and that non-compliance with its resolutions attracts enforcement under Port Economic Regulatory guidelines.

Diplomatic cargo dispute resolved

The first case centred on an Out-of-Gauge module imported for the Australian High Commission, involving Multifreight Nigeria Ltd, APM Terminals (APMT), and Pacific International Lines (PIL). The paired half-height modules were intended to be handled as a single unit, but inadequate coordination resulted in a split shipment, with one half over-carried back to Australia in December 2025.

The missing component did not arrive in Nigeria until February 2026, allowing storage charges to accumulate, along with 30 days of truck detention costs for the clearing agent.

PIL acknowledged its operational role in the over-carriage by granting a 100% waiver on ocean freight charges for the return leg. Following the NSC's intervention, APMT agreed to an accelerated 70% waiver on the accumulated storage invoice, significantly reducing the financial burden on the diplomatic mission.

Multifreight Nigeria Ltd was directed to remit the adjusted balance and finalise cargo out-gate procedures without delay, on pain of reinstatement of the full original invoice. The NSC also appealed to the Australian High Commission and its logistics providers to maintain confidence in Nigerian port gateways.

Power equipment freed after storage standoff

Another dispute involved critical power transmission equipment imported by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), with more than N2 billion in customs duties already paid. COSCO Shipping Lines Nigeria placed a possessory lien on the consignment owing to outstanding issues relating to previous shipments and unreturned empty containers, resulting in Samsung Heavy Industries/Mega Construction Investment (SHI/MCI) Terminals issuing a storage invoice of N150,508,443.59.

TCN argued that the current shipment, carried under a separate Bill of Lading, should not have been detained. COSCO countered that repeated warnings had been issued through established communication channels since August 2025, but went unheeded.

After three hours of technical review, the NSC determined that the storage charges had accrued primarily as a result of the COSCO lien. Samsung Terminals formalised the settlement at N60,203,377.44, saving TCN and the national economy more than N90 million.

The NSC advised maritime service providers to exercise restraint in placing liens on sensitive project cargo and to refer such disputes to the regulatory authority promptly.