Shippers’ Council charges BOAN on standard barges

Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC has implored barge operators under the aegis of Barge Operators Association of Nigeria, BOAN, to avoid substandard barges in other to curb the loss of their investments and consignments of their clients.
Bello said that barge operations have come to stay in the maritime industry because it is helpful to the growth of the economy.
He said BOAN must contribute to the sanity of the ports environment and called for larger stakeholders’ engagement where other key players in the industry come together to discuss issues affecting the industry.

He added: “On the issue of pricing, we have to look at many factors in setting tariffs for barge operations. NSC is looking to set the standard on the price, we are not fixing the price but we just want certain standards to be looked into.
“Also, if we continue to allow unprofessional conduct to happen there will be accidents or incidents that will have negative effects on the economy.”
On his part, the President of BOAN, Mr Edema Keliekume, commended NSC for accepting to meet with its members and urged the regulator to strike a balance between safety and economic gains.
“For our service to be more affordable to people there is a need for the cost component not to be high so that it doesn’t make our pricing be high,” Keliekume said.