Accra: The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has urged the Ghana Shippers' Authority (GSA) to take immediate enforcement action against shipping lines that continue to charge importers above the approved Container Administrative Charge (CAC).
According to Ghana Web, the IEAG has highlighted the persistent imposition of charges exceeding the approved GHS720 per Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU), which defies a directive from the GSA and a recent High Court ruling that confirmed the Authority's regulatory powers. In a statement signed by Executive Secretary Samson Asaki Awingobit, the IEAG stated that some shipping lines' actions challenge Ghana's legal and regulatory framework.
The Association revealed that invoices in its possession show that certain major shipping lines continue to levy charges far above the approved fee. "Regrettably, evidence available to the Association, including invoices issued by major shipping lines such as PIL and MSC, indicates that some operators continue to impose excessive and unjustifiable charges in blatant disregard of the Ghana Shippers' Authority's directive," the statement read.
Furthermore, the statement detailed instances where Pacific International Lines (PIL) charged an importer GHS4,000 as a Container Release Order fee on a single 40-foot container, while MSC Ghana Limited charged GHS3,870.46 as an Administrative Import Fee on a single 40HC container. These amounts are over five times the approved Container Administrative Charge of GHS720 per TEU, constituting a violation of the Authority's directive and the Ghana Shippers' Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122).
The IEAG emphasized that this situation highlights enduring concerns regarding the regulation of Ghana's commercial shipping industry. Shipping lines have long imposed arbitrary administrative charges, increasing business costs at the country's ports and burdening importers, exporters, and consumers.
The Association argued that ongoing non-compliance reflects years of weak regulatory enforcement, even after the enactment of the Ghana Shippers' Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122), which was intended to strengthen oversight and protect shipping service users.
The IEAG is demanding immediate enforcement proceedings against shipping lines that charge above the approved GHS720 CAC. It also calls for the GSA to apply to the High Court under Section 47 of Act 1122 to compel compliance, impose necessary regulatory sanctions, ensure refunds of all excess charges collected from importers and exporters since the directive took effect, and publish the names of defaulting shipping lines.
"The Authority cannot afford to remain silent while regulated entities openly defy its directives," the statement stressed, warning that a failure to enforce the directive would undermine the Authority's credibility and indicate that regulatory decisions can be ignored without consequence.
This development follows a High Court ruling on July 10, 2026, which dismissed an application by the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG) and others seeking to halt the implementation of the Ghana Shippers' Authority's Regulatory Directive issued on May 11, 2026.