Operators said that the sector was faced with myriads of challenges ranging from scarcity of foreign exchange, infrastructure deficit, high banking charges and lack of raw materials.
There are uncertainties about the availability of petrol, as most depots are without stock, while marketers have reportedly not been importing due to scarcity of foreign exchange.
It would, however, appear that the drastic fall in the country's oil revenue and the attendant biting scarcity of foreign exchange has upturned the calculated projections.
Though the shipping companies complain of scarcity of foreign exchange which warranted their sourcing from the parallel market, exporters insist the new charges are arbitrary and unfair.