Shippers racked up a whopping US$75 million in demurrage charges and paid around US$10 million in rent charges at Ghana’s ports last year, according to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).
Which is why the chief executive officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Benonita Bismarck, has urged shippers to clear their goods on time or within the seven-day free period provided by the ports.
This in order to avoid demurrage and rent charges which impact negatively on profitability and competitiveness. She said that avoiding these charges was not difficult and would reduce the cost burden on shippers while increasing productivity.
“The high cost of business remains one of the biggest disincentives to the growth of import and export businesses in Ghana,” said Bismarck. “A major cost item is container demurrage which has become a significant drain on the capital of import and export businesses.”
