The Ghana Shippers Authority has begun preliminary checks into claims that some importers are being billed new shipping surcharges linked to tensions in the Middle East, even though the cargo was shipped weeks before the conflict escalated.
Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Professor Ransford Gyampo, in a Facebook post, said shipping lines cannot legitimately impose a surcharge on goods that were shipped about 30 days before the conflict.
He notes that any such claim must first be supported by the bill of lading for verification.
According to him, while some global shipping lines have issued notices about potential surcharges due to geopolitical tensions, the document currently circulating locally appears “strange and off,” raising the possibility of billing errors.
Professor Gyampo said the Ghana Shippers Authority will investigate the matter if the relevant shipping documents are presented and will soon provide guidance to importers and shippers to ensure the proper rules are followed.
