Group Condemns Soaring Shipping Costs Amid Subpar Services

he Sea Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC) has raised concerns over the sharp rise in shipping and ancillary port charges in Nigeria, noting that these increases have far outpaced improvements in service quality and operational efficiency.

In a statement on Monday, signed by Head of Research Eugene Nweke, SEREC noted that traditional cost justifications—such as foreign exchange volatility, energy costs, and operational risks—have largely stabilised or moderated, yet charges continue to escalate. The group warned that unchecked increases are inflationary, affecting businesses, consumers, and the nation’s economic competitiveness.

“Shipping and ancillary port charges have increased sharply over the years, far exceeding improvements in service quality and efficiency. The cumulative effect of these unchecked charges is inflationary, with direct consequences for businesses, consumers, and national economic competitiveness. These realities underscore the urgent need for reform, transparency, and regulatory oversight within the shipping and port services sector,” the group said.

SEREC emphasised that while grievances in the sector are valid, tactics such as street-level shutdowns, blocking business premises, and other disruptive actions undermine the professional image and strategic goals of the maritime industry. The group warned that such approaches expose practitioners to legal, civil, and reputational risks and can undo years of effort to professionalise freight forwarding.

“Uncoordinated industrial action creates avoidable collateral damage to cargo interests, importers, and indigenous businesses, distracts from substantive policy issues, and shifts attention to tactics rather than solutions,” it added.

The group called for modern industrial advocacy to rely on structured engagement, evidence-based pressure, and institutional channels rather than physical confrontation. SEREC stressed the importance of a professional, data-driven approach to engagement, including cost benchmarking, trend analysis, and regional comparisons.

It also urged collective, coordinated action anchored on unified demands, formal petitions, regulatory complaints, arbitration requests, and lawful service withdrawal where necessary, with media engagement focused on education and public understanding rather than sensationalism.

SEREC identified a key driver of recurring disputes as a systemic regulatory deficit, noting that the absence of transparent, enforceable oversight of shipping line tariffs and ancillary charges has allowed arbitrary pricing and market abuses. The group called on the Nigerian Shippers Council to assert its statutory mandate firmly and transparently, including establishing tariff review and approval frameworks, enforcing cost disclosures, and consulting stakeholders on adjustments.

The centre also lamented the failure of the regulatory architecture to consistently enforce standards, ethics, and orderly conduct. “A credible regulator must promote lawful and civil engagement, sanction practices that undermine industry credibility, and lead advocacy through institutional channels rather than street enforcement,” SEREC said.

SEREC called for the immediate suspension of street-style shutdowns and urged the establishment of an industry shipping charges review forum involving regulators and stakeholders. Recommendations include developing a national port cost benchmarking framework, mandatory cost-justification disclosures by shipping lines, strengthened professional regulatory enforcement, and institutionalised dispute resolution mechanisms.

SEREC is an independent maritime policy, research, and advocacy organisation focused on Nigeria’s shipping, ports, and logistics sectors, known for conducting evidence-based research and issuing policy recommendations to support regulatory reform and operational improvements in the industry.