By ebosele@hotmail.com
Seasoned Maritime industry expert, on Monday in Lagos called on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to immediately suspend the planned sale of more than 2,500 empty shipping containers reportedly being disposed of by Grimaldi Nigeria, pending a comprehensive investigation into compliance with customs regulations.
A maritime trade consultant, Mr. Okey Ibeke, made the call during an interactive session with the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), warning that the sale of containers imported under temporary admission arrangements without proper customs conversion could result in significant revenue losses for the Federal Government.
According to Ibeke, reports indicate that the shipping company plans to sell the containers at prices ranging between $1,600 and $2,000 per unit, with payments to be made through U.S. dollar domiciliary accounts.
He argued that the proposed transaction raises concerns over adherence to customs procedures governing temporary imports and could undermine government efforts to strengthen the naira by discouraging dollar-denominated domestic transactions.
“Under Nigeria’s temporary importation regime, shipping containers are admitted duty-free on the condition that they are re-exported after use. Before such containers can be legally sold within the country, they must be converted to permanent import status through customs valuation and payment of applicable duties, taxes and levies,” Ibeke said.
He noted that any sale conducted without completing these requirements could amount to a violation of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and potentially deprive the government of much-needed revenue.
The consultant estimated that the Federal Government could lose between $350 and $400 in customs duties and taxes on each container sold without proper conversion. Based on the reported sale of 2,500 containers, he said the potential revenue loss from the transaction alone could approach $1 million.
While highlighting the Grimaldi case, Ibeke stressed that the issue extends beyond a single shipping line and reflects a wider industry challenge.
He explained that Nigeria’s longstanding trade imbalance, marked by high import volumes and relatively low export cargo, has resulted in the accumulation of large numbers of empty containers across ports and inland locations.
“With shipping lines facing increasing costs of repositioning empty containers to Asia and Europe, many are reportedly disposed of locally rather than re-exported,” he said.
Industry observers note that thousands of decommissioned shipping containers have found alternative uses across the country as offices, retail shops, storage facilities, cold rooms and security posts.
Ibeke estimated that as many as 250,000 containers may have been sold or converted for local use in Nigeria over the past three decades. Using an average container value of $1,500, he said cumulative losses from unpaid customs duties and Value Added Tax could exceed $375 million, while total liabilities, including penalties and related charges, could surpass $600 million.
He urged the Comptroller-General of Customs to suspend all ongoing sales of temporary import containers pending investigation and to launch a comprehensive audit of shipping lines and agents involved in handling such containers over the years.
The maritime expert also called for the reconciliation of customs import records with port exit data to determine how many containers were re-exported, properly converted to permanent import status, or disposed of without regulatory approval.
According to him, recovering outstanding duties, taxes, levies and penalties from operators found to have violated customs regulations would not only enhance government revenue but also strengthen compliance, improve transparency and support ongoing economic reform initiatives.
