Senate lifts OMSL’s suspension by NPA

From Sanni Onogu, Abuja

The Senate on Wednesday overruled the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on the suspension of a firm, Ocean Marine Solutions Limited (OMSL), from Lagos ports.

NPA suspended the firm’s operations at the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) of the Lagos ports for allegedly constituting a security threat.

The Senate adopted the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Navy, Marine Transport and Finance that investigated the matter.

The Committee, in its report, noted that the allegation was an indirect indictment of the Navy as “it is the one operating on the platforms with the logistics provided by OMSL.”

The report was presented by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, George Sekibo.

NPA suspended OMSL’s operations at the SAA over alleged high charges, which it said impacted negatively on the country’s ease of doing business rating.

But, the Senate adopted a recommendation of its Committee that the OMSL should be allowed to continue its services at the SAA until the government can provided a better and cost-effective alternative.

Read Also: Senate probes ‘closure of Nigerian businesses’ in Ghana

The upper chamber also approved the recommendation which called on the Federal Government to ensure better funding for the Nigerian Navy to boost its capacity to procure necessary vessel that will enhance its security operations in the Nigerian waters.

The recommendations approved by the upper chamber read in part: “That since no fraud is found in the operations of the OMSL and is operating at no cost to government, OMSL should be allowed to continue its operation at the SAA until such a time when a better and more cost-effective system is put in place by the government.

“That the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), should be commended for initiating and implementing a process that led to the provision of enhanced and advanced maritime security in the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in the Lagos waters in 2013 that has led in checkmating the high rate of attacks on vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos ports.

“That the Nigerian Navy should be properly funded to enable it to procure needed vessels to clear the over 150 vessels deficit to enable them to carry out their constitutional responsibilities without over depending on Private Maritime Logistics Support Companies (PMLSC).”

Senate President Ahmad Lawan said the country cannot afford to allow a vacuum since it has no immediate alternative to the services of the OMSL.

Lawan said: “This is not the issue for the Senate Committee on Navy to deal with; it is the issue of the Federal Government because if our Navy is this incapacitated.

“It is a big issue for us and, unfortunately, we are even discussing it in plenary that they have only one functioning ship.

“As a giant of Africa, we should be talking about hundreds of ships. This is a challenge to all of us. The National Assembly particularly, we have to do something about the Nigeria Navy.”

Senator Sekibo noted that the joint committee found that it would be difficult to convince a domain expert in the maritime industry that the fees charged by the OMSL at the SAA facility could increase port cost.

He noted that the provision of the SAA comes to the government at no cost.

He said the provision of an alternative to the SAA would require a huge budgetary allocation from the Government.

Besides, he said there was no alternative provision in place that would provide the needed security for vessels waiting to berth at Lagos ports like the current Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) operated by OMSL.

Other findings of the committee reads in part: “That in the past six  years of rendering the services of the SAA, all pirate attacks in the SAA have been repelled, thus giving the service a 100 per cent success level.

“That the SAA facility has indeed restored the confidence of the Nigerian merchant and shippers in the use of Lagos ports.

“That the SAA facility does not cost the government anything but rather helped to reduce government expenditure in providing security at the nation’s waters.”

The committee further said it found that the Navy was currently in deficit of about 150 patrol boats that will help it in checkmating the insecurity in the Nigerian sea and ports.

It added that two out of the three patrol boats given to the Nigerian Navy by the NPA through NlMASA in 2014 to enhance security presence in the ports are dysfunctional.

Other findings according to Sekibo include: “That the heightened insecurity in the Nigerian waters in 2012, particularly at the Lagos waters, led to the establishment of the SAA.

“Those relevant government agencies (NPA, NlMASA, DPR & Nigerian Navy) were involved in the meetings and consultation process that led to the establishment of the SAA.

“That the Nigerian Navy as the institution saddle with the responsibility of securing the Nigerian territorial waterways operate in the SAA with platforms; logistics and technical support provided by OMSL.

“That the boats provided by OMSL at the SAA are painted in Nigerian Navy colours, given Navy call signs and operated essentially as part of the naval fleet under the command and control of the Nigerian Navy.

“That OMSL patrol boats in the SAA are operating under the command and control of the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command under the provision of extent MoU between the company and the Nigerian Navy.

“That the existence and operation of the SAA cannot in any way be a threat to national security as it is being operated and supervised by the Nigerian Navy and not by OMSL directly.

“That the allegation that the SAA poses a security threat to the country is an indirect indictment on the Nigerian Navy as it’s the one operating on the platforms with the logistics provided by OMSL.

“That the Nigerian Navy had on different occasions emphasised that its interest is for an enhanced and advanced maritime security to all users of the sea and as such wants to maintain neutrality.

“That the neutrality of the Nigerian Navy is difficult to ascertain because it operates on the platforms and logistics provided by OMSL at the Secured Anchorage Area (5AA).

“That the establishment of the SAA has not contravened the provisions of any national or international maritime laws ascribed or acceded to by Nigeria.”