14 Sep
There is a new innovation called smart containers which is to improve industry standards and services and has been gaining momentum across the globe for sometime now.
There is a new innovation called smart containers which is to improve industry standards and services and has been gaining momentum across the globe for sometime now. Just imagine as a budding clearing agent in Nigeria, you just took delivery of some containers; you are excited that the process of booking for examination, settling customs and other security agencies has almost come to an end. Not forgetting a follow up to returning those empty containers back to the terminal. This is where collecting your container card from the transporter as proof of return comes in. now; you can finally rest and say your job is done.
Or not so fast as tendency for scrupulous acts in this industry is paramount to others. Lets say after getting your container card (as a form of proof that you have indeed returned the empty container on your previous job) and you have another job where the shipping company refuses to release your new job because you haven’t returned the container on your previous job.
Sounds ironic right? Well this happens a lot and as one begins to trace back on the series of events relating to the empty container not returned to the terminal, you discover the container card is fake and the container has either been dumped, abandoned somewhere or either the container has been sold off. This is one of the reasons clearing agents are advised to work with credible transporters to avoid stories as such.
If the container has probably been sold off, you then have to pay for the value of that container to the shipping company. If you are lucky to even find the container abandoned somewhere, you have to arrange for another truck to return the container back to the terminal ,hire a forklift (to place container on truck). All of which are additional expenses not planned out for.
Such Issues like this could be very cumbersome for clearing agents in Lagos so when we hear of shipping companies coming up with innovative solutions that could solve this type of issues; the possibilities are exciting.
Read more : https://www.collossians.com/possibilities-smart-containers-lagos-ports/