Rwandan importers are pushing for talks to resolve a longstanding problem of cargo overstays at Tanzanian and Kenyan ports which now face imminent auction to clear charges and penalties accrued due to delays attributed to Covid-19, the East African has reported.
According to the report, over 2000 containers which arrived between December and May are stuck at the ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa due to ongoing delays in logistics and paperwork.
Quoted in the report, Joseph Akumuntu, the Rwandan Private Sector Federation’s chamber of commerce and services director, said that one of the major concerns was that port authorities, warehouse operators and revenue bodies were continuing to charge Customs warehouse rent, port storage fees, and penalties. “Now the Tanzania International Container Terminal Services has threatened to auction our containers, notwithstanding several requests for the waiver, to which we did not receive feedback. We are requesting the government to engage their Tanzanian and Kenyan counterparts to find a solution,” he said.
