According to the new rules, foreseen in notice 2/21, all international shipping lines that have permanent and regular shipping operators in the country will continue to pay for port services on import and container demurrage in the ports in kwanzas. However, the payment of export freights will be carried out in dollars.
According to Expansão, the obligation to pay for port services in Angola in foreign currency was one of the biggest concerns of operators. The new measure was received with good eyes, but operators still feel that the payment of freights in dollars does not make sense.
"If we apply this logic, a restaurant in Luanda could start charging its lunches or dinners in kwanzas to Angolan clients and in dollars or euros to foreign clients who come here on a trip. It doesn't seem to make sense to us," a source from the Association of Shipping Agents of Angola told Expansão.
The operators also believe that these new rules will ease the costs of the companies. If the entities had to pay in dollars, they would have to use their foreign exchange reserves to pay for services provided in Angola, thus increasing costs and leading to the abandonment of the Angolan market.
According to Expansão, permanent shipping agents are confident that this new position is in line with the government's strategy of wanting to make a more counterbalanced management of the country's debt reserves.
