Abuja, Jan.14, 2026(NAN)The Sea Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC) has called for the establishment of shipping charges review forum, following the shut down of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) office in Apapa over increased charges.
Dr Eugene Nweke, SEREC`s Head of Research, made the call in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that members of the Association of Nigeria Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA) and other freight forwarders on Monday protested on the increment and shut down MSC.
The MSC had raised the Import Documentation Fee for 20-foot containers from N45,000 to N58,500 and for 40-foot containers from N72,000 to N93,600.
Additional port charges increased from N50,000 to N80,000 for 20-foot containers, and from N100,000 to N160,000 for 40-foot containers.
Nweke said that the forum should involve regulators and stakeholders to work for their common interest, and called for the immediate suspension of street-style shutdowns and physical enforcement actions.
He said that the maritime and port industry remained a key driver of trade, revenue and economic stability.
According to him, all actions and regulatory decisions in the sector must be guided by professionalism, legality and institutional responsibility.
He recommended the development of a national port cost benchmarking framework, requiring shipping lines to provide cost-justification disclosures for tariff adjustments.
He also recommended the strengthening of professional regulatory enforcement to promote orderly advocacy, and institutionalising dispute resolution and arbitration mechanisms.
“While stakeholder concerns regarding arbitrary and disproportionate tariff increases are legitimate and well-founded, the methods adopted in prosecuting such grievances must align with modern industrial relations standards and international best practices, ”he said.
He called for reforms, transparency and regulatory intervention in the shipping and port services sector over challenges in the industry ecosystem.
“There is no dispute that shipping and ancillary port charges has increased without commensurate improvements in service quality and efficiency, alongside higher operating costs driven by foreign exchange volatility and energy prices.
“Many of the traditional cost justifications advanced by service providers, including foreign exchange volatility, energy costs and operational risks have either stabilised or moderated, yet charges remain unchecked,” he said.
He said that the cumulative effect was inflationary, with direct consequences for businesses, consumers and national economic competitiveness.
“Notwithstanding the legitimacy of the grievances, street-style shutdowns, physical obstruction of business premises, and selective operational disruptions are inconsistent with the image, aspirations, and strategic objectives of a modern maritime industry,” he said.
According to him, such approaches expose practitioners and associations to legal, civil and reputational risks and undermine years of effort to reposition freight forwarding as a regulated, professional, and knowledge-driven vocation.
He linked recurring disputes over shipping charges to a systemic regulatory deficit characterised by the absence of firm, transparent and enforceable oversight over shipping line tariffs and ancillary charges.
“The industry economic regulator must assert its statutory mandate without fear or favour, establish tariff review and approval frameworks and enforce cost transparency and stakeholder consultation.
“Equally concerning is the failure of the professional regulatory architecture to consistently enforce standards, ethics and orderly conduct .
“A credible professional regulator must promote lawful and civil engagement, sanction conduct that undermines industry credibility and lead advocacy through institutional channels rather than street enforcement,” he said.
He said that both economic and professional regulators must rise above institutional lethargy, regulatory capture, and selective enforcement.
“Ultimately, sustainable solutions lie, not in confrontation, but in credible regulation, responsible leadership, and collective discipline,” he said. (NAN)
