The Shipping Association of Nigeria (SAN) has insisted that the upward adjustment of service charges by shipping companies reflects a partial cost-recovery measure in response to rising operational costs within the prevailing economic realities affecting the entire maritime logistics ecosystem over the past several years.
The association said the fee adjustment partially offsets the high port charges and terminal costs, administrative and regulatory compliance costs, exchange rate fluctuations, logistics and operational overheads.
This is just as freight forwarders and clearing agents in Lagos stormed the offices of major shipping firms, yesterday, in protest against implementing the hike in charges.
The protesters also stormed the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Pacific International Lines (PIL), Lagos and Niger Shipping Company (LANSA) and others demanding a stop to shipping charge increase.
Chairman of SAN, Boma Alabi, said the tariff adjustment, approved by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), followed the prevailing economic conditions, including inflation, foreign exchange volatility, and operational cost escalations, as well as multiple rounds of review and regulatory scrutiny spanning nearly two years before a final decision was reached.
Alabi while also responding to a letter written to the shipping body by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Trade Advocacy Committee, dated 12 March 2026, that vehemently opposed the approval granted to the shipping line agencies for an upward review of tariff, said the adjustment does not represent a real increase in economic terms but rather a limited adjustment that represents a balanced regulatory decision intended to ensure sustainability of maritime services while maintaining fairness within the port economic framework.
She emphasised that the adjustment granted by the Council was modest and significantly below the cumulative inflation rate recorded in Nigeria over the same period.
Meanwhile, speaking on the protest, the National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Emmanuel Onyeme, said the protest is supported by all freight forwarding associations.
The President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Frank Ogunojemite, also confirmed members’ participation in the protest against the shipping companies’ decision.
Ogunojemite described the charges as inhumane, adding that it would further lead to inflation and an astronomical increase in the cost of cargo clearance.
