The Managing Director of the National Port Authority (NPA), Bill Twehway, is expected to meet with the Business Community on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 3p.m. at the headquarter of the LCC to explain the issue of the CTN and address the costs and implementation concerns. The Special Committee appointed by the Senate Plenary to investigate and report on the NPA CTN contract with GTMS requested the MD to meet with the business community.
According to a press release, it can be record, that at the written request of the Honorable Senate, the Notice to Boycott the NPA by LCC was suspended. The Senate Special Committee then held two meetings with the LCC; the second was a round-table meeting which will include the Managing Director of the National Port Authority, Hon. Bill Twehway, the Minister of Commerce, Prof. Wilson K. Tarpeh, and a representative of GTMS, Ms. Amminata Bangura. The parties were given the opportunity to present their position on the CTN matter.
In the presentation made by Bill Twehway on the ISPS compliance and the CTN, he informed the body that his institution is taking steps to ensure that there would be some costs trade-offs to offset any impact of the CTN fees to the consuming public/ the Pro-Poor Agenda as follows:
- Shipping costs billing: the NPA has identified demurrage and storage costs billed importers by shipping lines, the NPA will eliminate these charges
- Shipping Lines Port Insurance Billing: NPA has identified Port insurance fee billed to importers; this fee will be paid to NPA because it is the NPA that provide the Port insurance service to importers.
- The NPA would eliminate port charges in the clearing of containers.
- One Stop Shop Processing Clearing Efficiency at NPA: Services relating to processing and clearing of containers will now be done exclusively within the Port.
Upon conclusion of the presentation by NPA’s MD, Grand Cape Mount Senator Varney Sherman requested the Managing Director to reduce his presentation in writing to form part of their record and report to the Senate Plenary. The senator also requested the MD to speak to the business community at LCC; hence, the called meeting for this Tuesday. All concerned are expected to be full attendance, the release concluded.