The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has announced the recovery of over N197 billion for shippers and port users in 2025, underscoring the Council’s commitment to protecting shippers’ interests and enforcing transparency within the maritime industry.
According to the NSC’s 2025 performance review contained in its quarterly newsletter, the Council received a total of 183 complaints across the four quarters of the year.
The NSC said of the 183 complaints, 108 were successfully resolved though its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) framework, tackling issues such as arbitrary charges, container deposit refund delays, cargo damage, missing containers, and documentation lapses.
The Council noted that most of the compliants received were lodged against shipping companies and their agents, with arbitrary charges and container deposit refund disputes ranking highest.
A breakdown of the recoveries in the first quarter (January–March 2025) indicated that the council recovered over N62.8 million and $15,964 (about N24.4 million) for port users, following interventions on 41 complaints received within the period. This brought the total value recovered in the quarter to approximately N87.2 million.
Out of the 41 complaints, 22 were resolved; 14 are ongoing, four placed on “Keep in View” (KIV) status, and one was closed. The majority of complaints were lodged against shipping companies and their agents, with arbitrary charges and container deposit refund disputes ranking highest.
Between April and June 2025, the Council recorded its highest quarterly savings, securing over N175.8 billion and $30,000 (about N45.9 million) for stakeholders through dispute resolution.
Within the quarter, it received 40 complaints and resolved 21, while 18 remained ongoing and one was closed without resolution.
In the third quarter (July–September 2025), the NSC recovered over N2.059 billion through interventions on complaints involving container deposit refunds, demurrage and detention, cargo damage, missing containers, and documentation lapses.
Out of 46 complaints received, 26 were successfully resolved, with the remained undergoing further verification.
In the fourth quarter (October–December 2025), the council recovered over N16.3 million and $39,779.02 (about N60.8 million) on behalf of port users, while resolving 39 out of 56 complaints received within the period.
14 cases were ongoing, two were closed, and one was classified as Keep In View (Kredre
“Our interventions align strictly with our statutory mandate to safeguard shippers’ interests and promote a culture of transparency,” the Council stated.
The NSC urged all port users and stakeholders to remain vigilant and continue reporting service infractions to the Council for prompt redress
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