The chairman of the Tema chapter of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, John Mantey, has filed for a default judgment against several shipping lines.

Mantey’s legal move comes after the shipping lines failed to submit a defence following their conditional appearance in court in late January. The lawsuit challenges what he describes as unauthorized charges imposed by shipping lines and agents, including container administrative fees, processing fees, evacuation fees, container washing fees, and demurrage charges applied on weekends and public holidays.

The case has drawn widespread attention within the shipping and logistics industry, with stakeholders voicing concerns over what they see as excessive and unjustified fees at Ghanaian ports.

The chairman is seeking a court order to declare these charges illegal, mandate refunds to affected parties, and prevent shipping lines from imposing similar fees in the future.

Legal experts suggest that if the court grants the default judgment, it could set a precedent for future disputes between freight forwarders and shipping companies regarding arbitrary port charges. Industry players are closely monitoring the proceedings as the court prepares to rule on the default judgment application in the coming weeks.

It will be recalled that the Institute took legal action against the Ship Owners and Agents Association and affiliated shipping agencies over alleged unauthorised charges and rising costs at the ports.

The Freight Forwarders accused the shipping agencies of imposing unapproved fees.

In a writ filed on January 20, 2025 and sighted by Citi Business News, the Freight Forwarders argued that, these charges were introduced unlawfully, despite directives from the Ghana Shippers Authority to halt extra port fees.