Senate Probes New Cargo Tracking Regime At NPA

By Jackson C. Clay, Jr.
The plenary of the Liberian Senate has mandated its committee on Commerce, Trade and Industry to probe into new cargo tracking measure put into place by the National Port Authority (NPA) and a foreign company.

The plenary which is the highest decision making body of the Liberian Senate took the decision Tuesday, February 5, 2019 during its regular session on Capitol Hill.

The move by the plenary of the Liberian Senate was triggered by a communication filed to that body and read in open plenary by Grand Cape Mount County Senator, Cllr. Varney Sherman.

According to Senator Sherman’s Communication, he want full plenary of the Liberian Senate to investigate this new cargo tracking regime before it takes effect if not already into implementation.

“I therefore urge the Liberian Senate to take the same initiative as the House of Representatives by having our committee on Commerce and industry investigate into this new cargo tracking regime before it takes effect,” Senator Sherman writes his colleagues.

The Grand Cape Mount County Senator further stated that, in addition to mandating the committee of the Senate to probe the matter, he also wants the senate to instruct the National Port Authority (NPA), the Global Tracking and Maritime Solution Holdings and the Liberia Chambers of Commerce be invited to give evidence regarding this new cargo tracking regime in the country.

He revealed to his colleagues in his communication that according to his research conducted on this new cargo tracking regime, he discovered that recently as of November 2018 the Sierra Leone Port Authority cancel a cargo tracking regime it had pursuant to an agreement with a private company and as such he wonders whether this is the same company.

Senator Sherman also craving the indulgence of the Senate’s plenary to prohibit the agreement which according to him the NPA and the Global Tracking and Maritime Solution Holdings have already entered into pending the outcome of the Senate’s investigation.

Meanwhile the plenary voted to turn Senator Sherman’s communication over to its committee con Commerce, Trade and Industry to conduct the probe and report back to full plenary within two weeks for further action by the plenary.