The committee is a mixed team of practitioners in the industry, other regulators and other stakeholders.
The Director General of NIMASA, DAKUKU PETERSIDE said move is in line with the vision of the agency to advance Nigeria’s global maritime interest.
PETERSIDE the inauguration of the committee is coming on the heels of a recent visit to the Agency by the Shipping Association of Nigeria.
The NIMASA Boss said the leadership of the association, which is an assemblage of the major shipping companies operating in the country, had expressed concern over the current benchmark freight rate used in the industry.
According to a statement released by NIMASA, the shipping companies argued that the benchmark did not represent three percent of the freight.
They also contended that if calculated using some other parameters, it would be discovered that shipping companies were being charged more than what they should pay.
The NIMAS Director General said as an organisation that is sensitive, it acknowledged that its actions have overall impact on businesses.
DAKUKU PETERSIDE also noted that the function of NIMASA as a regulatory agency was not to stifle business, but to encourage operators, promote shipping and support both indigenous and foreign entrepreneurs.
PETERSIDE said the ultimate objective is to create the enabling environment for the industry to thrive.
He therefore charged the committee to let the overall national interest guide their decisions, as against how much money that would come to the coffers of NIMASA and to them as businessmen.
The NIMASA Freight Benchmark Review Committee was also given six weeks to conclude its assignment.
