Ghana Shippers Authority Moves to Sanction Recalcitrant Shipping Lines Over Illegal Container Charges

By: Edward Graham Sebbie

The Ghana Shippers Authority, GSA, says it will impose strict sanctions on shipping lines that continue to defy its regulatory directive of capping Container Administrative Charges (CAC).

The move follows fresh complaints by the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) that some shipping lines are still charging as high as five times the approved rate of GH¢720 per Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) in gross violation of the directive.

The directive, which was issued on May 11, 2026, was affirmed by an Accra High Court ruling on July 10, 2026, dismissing an application for interlocutory injunction filed by the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana, SOAAG, and some shipping agents seeking to restrain the GSA. The Court held that the directive had already taken effect upon its issuance and that granting the injunction would impede the Authority’s statutory regulatory mandate.

Speaking to VoiceAfricaonline.com, the Chief Executive Officer of the GSA, Professor Ransford Edward Gyampo, said the Authority has already instituted punitive measures against offending lines and is awaiting the resumption of the courts from the current legal vacation to enforce the sanctions.

“We have imposed the necessary penalties on culprit shipping lines and are only waiting for the courts to return from their vacation. We will ensure that every penny they illegally took in excess of what they must charge is refunded,” Prof. Gyampo stressed.

He said the GSA draws its authority to sanction recalcitrant shipping lines from Sections 36 and 47 of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122), which empowers it to take regulatory and enforcement action against non-compliant operators.

The Impotters Exporters Association of Ghana has accused some shipping lines of blatantly disregarding the cap even while the matter was before the courts. According to the Association, invoices sighted show that two shipping lines have charged GH¢4,000 as a Container Release Order fee for a single 40-foot container and GH¢3,870.46 as an Administrative Import Fee for a 40HC container, amounts more than five times the approved GH¢720 cap.

The Association argues that the excessive charges increase the cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports, fuel inflation, and reduce the competitiveness of Ghanaian businesses.

In furtherance of the High Court ruling, the IEAG has proposed that all excess collections made since May 11, 2026 be paid into a designated account by the GSA for transparent verification and subsequent reimbursement to affected shippers.

The dispute traces back to March 2026, when the GSA first notified shipping lines of a plan to cap the charge at GH¢550 per TEU from May 1. Following pushback, Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe deferred implementation to July 1, while approving an interim ceiling of GH¢720 per TEU to hold in the meantime.

With the injunction now dismissed, the GSA has directed all shipping lines and their agents to comply fully and immediately, and has urged importers, exporters and freight forwarders to report any non-compliance through its official channels.

The Authority maintains that the cap forms part of its broader mandate to promote transparency and fairness in shipping charges and to reduce the cost of doing business in Ghana which has corresponding correlation with prices of goods.