Trader demands government intervention
July 2, 2018
By Mohamed Massaquoi
Maersk Line: accused of negligence at sea
A local businesswoman risk forfeiting her house and other property to the Mortgage Bank in Freetown after a shipping company refused to compensate her for damage to her 40 feet container of goods, thus claiming that Maersk Line Sierra Leone Limited should take responsibility.
Madam Fatmata Kamara, while narrated her ordeal to this medium, stated that sometimes last year she entrusted her container in the hands of Maersk Line from China to Sierra Leone, and that a proper examination was conducted to ascertain that the goods were in good condition before the shipment.
However, when the container arrived in Sierra Leone, her goods worth millions of Leones were damaged. “When I received the container, I discovered that the goods which were valued at US$115, 00, equivalent to Le902, 000,000, was damaged.”
She said that even though she had made a formal complaint to the management of the shipping company, they have refused to address the issue while the mortgage bank is now after her for money she had loaned.
“I am asking the business community and the government of Sierra Leone to intervene into this matter because I stand to lose my properties as a business woman who has struggled for a very long time to attain this level to the mortgage bank. My container was sealed in front of the shipping officials before the shipment. I am disappointed that when the container was brought to Sierra Leone and opened on arrival, I noticed that the goods were completely destroyed. I later learnt that on arrival of the container, the captain of the ship made a formal complaint to the shipping company about the damage container but the company did not contact me on the incident,” she narrated.
She pleaded with the “government to help me so that this company can take legitimate claims from me.”
However, Customer Service Manager at Maersk Line, Moses Osman Bangura, confirmed the predicament of Madam Kamara, but noted that company has not refused to take responsibility.
“I want Madam Kamara to come over so that we can resolve this matter once and for all,” he said.