MONROVIA, Nov. 2 -- Seen from the beaches of Monrovia, the problem is easy to spot. On a grey afternoon this week, several cargo ships sat at anchor on the horizon off Liberia's capital. They were waiting for a berth at the Freeport of Monrovia, the country's main gateway for imported food, fuel, building materials and consumer goods.

By Rodney D. Sieh

Video footage seen by FrontPageAfrica shows at least five vessels anchored in a line offshore. A frayed Liberian flag flaps on a wooden pole in the foreground, and fishing canoes sit on the beach.

For Liberian importers, those waiting ships mean money lost. Business owners say every day a container spends at sea pushes up their costs, and those costs end up in the prices ordinary Liberia...