There’s a row brewing in Ghana over the proposed implementation by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) of an increased safety charge for shipping lines from 15 cents to 50 cents.
The safety charge, according to the director general of the GMA, Kwame Owusu, is backed by the Authority’s regulations passed in 2012, which allow the imposition of maritime safety fees and charges on installations, ships, pipelines, cables and other assets employed in the maritime sector.
Owusu, described as illegal the previous administration of GMA’s decision to whittle down the 1 dollar charge by over 800 percent to 15 cents per vessel.
“The vessel owners came to the then DG to reduce the legislative amount of 1 dollar 15cents, and that has been in place since 2012 - and that is ripping the government of Ghana,” he said.
But the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana has threatened to increase charges for their services due to the impending increase in safety fees.
The vice president of the Association, Ayana Adam Imoro, maintains the shipping lines cannot absorb the cost and will therefore pass it on to the shipper or trading public.
Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Samson Asaki, says importers will reject any attempt by the shipping lines to increase their charges.
