Information provided by the West of England P&I Club
The West of England P&I Club has been advised by Ivory P&I, Abidjan, of alleged shortages of wheat discharged in Abidjan leading to the imposition of fines by the Customs Authorities.
Inmost cases the draught survey figures will show either a small surplus or a small shortage of cargo, as would be expected, however, shore figures derived from the shore scales at the two principal wheat importers in Abidjan; Les Grands Moulins d’Abidjan and Les Moulins Modernes de Côte d’Ivoire, consistently show shortages of between 40 and 160 m.t.
Discrepancies have also been found between the quantities recorded by the truck weighbridge operated by the stevedores and those obtained from a weighbridge operated by an independent third party; the Ivorian Chamber of Commerce. Therefore doubts exist as to the accuracy of the shore scales used by the principal wheat importers, and the weighbridge used by the stevedore company. In the event of a shortage the Customs Authorities impose a fine of 50,000 CFA Francs (approximately 76 Euros) per short-landed m.t.
In order to protect Members’ interests it is recommended that their Masters request a copy of the latest calibration certification for the weighbridge that is to be used by the cargo receivers. It is also recommended, where possible, that a sample of trucks are also weighed on the weighbridge of an independent third party, in order than any discrepancy between the receivers and the ship’s figures can be noted.
The two leading bulk importers of wheat, who discharge via conveyor rather than by truck, use belt scales at their milling plants to determine the weight of wheat discharged, therefore it is expected that they will resist a request for additional weighing of trucks of cargo as it will slow discharge operations.
Source: The West of Enlgand P&I Club
