Grimaldi Agency Nigeria has rejected claims that Grimaldi Deep Sea S.p.A. sold 2,500 empty shipping containers and incurred customs duties on the transaction. In a statement released on Wednesday, the agency called the reports false and not backed by evidence. It clarified that any customs duties or charges linked to the domestication of the containers fall solely on the purchaser. The containers were transferred under a "Foreign Customs Position," meaning they were sold for international use only and not for local deployment in Nigeria.
The company stated that the sales documentation explicitly indicated the containers were to be used solely for international carriage of goods without changes to their customs classification. The sales agreement also specified that if local regulations required the containers to be regularised for domestic use, the buyer was fully responsible for the process and all associated costs. Grimaldi noted this arrangement aligns with standard international shipping practices, where containers sold in foreign customs status are often used as Shipper Owned Containers (SOC) in global trade.
According to the agency, customs obligations only arise when a buyer chooses to repurpose the containers for local use, such as storage or construction. In such cases, the responsibility for duties and taxes lies with the party altering the container's status. "In such circumstances, responsibility rests with the party changing the status and use of the equipment, namely the purchaser," the statement said. Grimaldi emphasized that its operations follow international shipping standards and that all transaction terms were clearly defined and adhered to.
Grimaldi denies selling containers for local use while acknowledging buyers may later domesticate them, creating a loophole where the company profits but avoids duty liability. Nigerian purchasers who convert these containers for domestic projects now bear full customs costs despite the initial sale originating from an international transaction. This shifts financial risk to local actors without altering the seller's role in enabling post-sale domestication. The arrangement benefits foreign sellers while leaving Nigerian buyers exposed to unexpected regulatory expenses.
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