Operators in the maritime industry have accused the Maersk Group of gradually building a monopolistic market for it self in Nigeria by creating more favourable opportunities for unit companies to have advantage over other competitors.
Making the claim in an exclusive interview with Vanguard Maritime Report, Chairman of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Apapa Chapter, Olumide Fakanlu, said that latest with the Maersk Group is the freight forwarding outfit which was recently set up.
Fakanlu explained that the APM Terminal, a unit of Maersk which controls the largest container terminal in the country, give the freight forwarding outfit 29 free storage and speed up its clearing processes.
The ANLCA Apapa chapter chairman further disclosed that as a result of these advantages, the unit now goes to all the multinational companies and large companies owned and managed by expatriates, assuring them of faster and less cumbersome delivery of their consignments.
Some of these companies that use to patronise them are switching to the Maersk Group freight forwarding outfit.
He noted that the above in addition to the granting of clearing licenses to multinational companies will result in the complete take over of the business, if concrete and deliberate actions are not taken by government on this issue soon.
Similarly, another clearing agent, Emeka Anderson Okoroafor, also pointed out that the same situation takes place with Maerskline, the shipping outfit of the group.
Responding to these allegations, Head of Corporate Communication of Maersk Group in Africa, Austin Fischer, said that it is not true at all because each subsidiary of the Maersk Group, stands alone and operates distinctively from the other.
Fischer noted that each subsidiary is in competition with others in their line of business, noting further that these subsidiaries also render services to other clients.
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