Shippers Council up in arms

The Ghana Shippers Council (GSC) is on a collision course with French Shipping giant in the country, SDV (Gh) Ltd. formerly Delmas Ghana Ltd. The shipping line, which in open defiance transported equipment to Burkina Faso through a haulage company, Jonmoore International Ltd has been asked by the Ghana Shippers Council to refund CFA 7.1 million to the haulage company.

A communiqu? available to the Chronicle dated 24 April 2002, reference SS.01/vol.5/30 addressed to the Managing Director of SDV Gh. Ltd Tema, and signed by G.E. Alorsor for the Chief Executive of GSC, followed meetings that were held by representatives of the Ghana Shippers Council, Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), SDV (Gh) Ltd. Burkina Shippers Council (CBC Tema) Burkina Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Tema), OTRAF, Tema and Jonmoore Int. Ltd.

The report states that in 2000, SDV, Ghana Ltd. consignment of mining machinery and equipment from Tema Port to mining sites in Burkina Faso. On arrival of the company’s convoy of 23 trucks in Ouagadougou, the trucks were detained by the Transport Unison of Burkina Faso (OTRAF) for failure to comply with the country’s laws on transportation of transit cargoes. Subsequently, a penalty of CFA 7.1 million was imposed on the haulage company, which was later paid by SDV Burkina on the instructions of their Ghanaian counterparts before the trucks were released to discharge the goods.

The suppliers of the equipment DTP of France, reportedly paid the cost of haulage through SDV Ghana Ltd. but deducted the CFA 7.1 million ($10,000) before paying Jonmoore Int.

An alarm was raised for the alleged unfair treatment by SDV Ghana Ltd. to the transporter. GIFF petitioned the Ghana Shippers Council who, after intensive inquisition, put the blame at the doorsteps of the French Shipping giant. It was revealed that SDV Gh. failed to process documentation on the consignment with Burkina Shippers’ representative in Ghana leading to the detention and subsequent imposition of the penalty.

The head of clearing and forwarding of SDV Ghana Ltd. Miss Adeline Gabillaud, was aware of the Inter State Waybill, which she commenced processing but abandoned them at the offices of the Burkina Shippers Council at Tema. It is alleged that during the processing of the document, Miss Gabillaud got angry and left the uncompleted forms, which are to date, lying at the Burkina Shippers Council offices at Tema.

It was also noted that without the documents, OTRAF could not issue their Bon d’Expedition, which would have exempted the transporter from any responsibility of load sharing which has also been a bone of contention between GIFF and OTRAF. The Ghana Shippers Council further expressed its dismay at SDV Ghana’s action to pay the penalty without first enquiring from the transporter and went ahead to deduct the amount from remuneration to the haulage company.

Further investigations by the Chronicle have it that, at the moment, Jonmoore is being threatened with legal action by both owners of the said 23 trucks and the fuel company ENGEN Gh. Ltd. for its inability to pay for services and fuel credited before embarking on the trip to Burkina Faso.

Sources at SDV Ghana who equally blamed Miss Gabillaud for the debt, hinted that the Managing Director, Olivier Ranjard, was heard saying that they were not going to refund the money contrary to the instructions from the Shippers Council. When asked for the next line of action if the French company failed to respect the decision, on official of Ghana Shippers Council who pleaded anonymity whispered that the company would not be blacklisted.