The Ghana Maritime Authority has presented its report on the newly introduced Terminal Handling Charge by the various shipping lines and their agents operating in the country to the Minister of Transport, Mr. Fifi Kwetey.
The Minister of Transport commissioned the Ghana Maritime Authority to investigate and advice the Ministry on the way forward for the Terminal Handling Charge after scores of shippers and business associations across the country vehemently protested the introduction of the new charge.
Various business associations including the Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Customs Brokers Association of Ghana (CUBAG), Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Greater Accra Regional Shipper Committee, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, Ghana Chamber of Mines, Association of Ghana Industries and the Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE) petitioned the Transport Minister over the Terminal Handling Charge, explaining that they were already grappling with several local charges imposed on them by the shipping lines and that the new charge was bound to make them unprofitable should it be sanctioned by government.
The Minister of Transport announcing receipt of the report from the Ghana Maritime Authority noted that although he had received it, it was necessary for him to take time and study the verdict therein before arriving at any concrete conclusion. Both the shippers and business associations on one hand, and the shipping lines and their agents on the other hand seem upbeat about the outcome of the investigations, with each hoping it will be in their favour. .
Mr. Fifi Kwetey further announced that the suspension of the newly introduced charge was still in full force and was not to be breached, adding that the final verdict was expected to be acceptable to all parties involved
“Let me use this opportunity to affirm that the directive of the ministry of transport for the suspension of the implementation of the newly introduced terminal handling charges is still in force pending a resolution to the impasse. I have received the report from Ghana Maritime Authority on the matter and it is being studied. I will soon reconvene a meeting with the stakeholders in order to bring a final resolution to the impasse in a way that is acceptable to all parties involved” he said
It must be noted that the imposition of terminal handling charges and surcharges dominated discussions at the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Global Shippers Forum held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Shippers in the world’s major trading regions, including Europe, North America, Asia and Africa bemoaned the impositions of these charges and their impact on their competitiveness.
The meeting noted that these charges remained a key issue for shippers in Africa and Asia as much of the developing world.
At the forum some measures were adopted to tackle the issue of surcharges and terminal handling charges. some of these measures included; the withdrawal of anti-trust immunity for shipping services where such exemption exist, promote fair and equitable contracts through GSF/BIMCO container contracts, promote the use of all-in-rates, challenge service providers directly to justify their add-on-services and surcharges, promote the use of INCOTERMS and the use of the FCA term in sales contract between buyers and sellers to enhance the joint bargaining power of shippers, explore opportunities for establishing shipper associations to enter into collective buying agreements for SME’s, subject to anti-trust laws and also to work with international bodies such as UNCTAD, WTO, OECD and the World Bank to undertake further analysis of the potential barriers to trade resulting from add-on charges and surcharges. At the forum, they were also encouraged to use the media in issuing out press releases on the matter.
