The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Customs impounds N75m vehicles

    The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘C,’ comprising South-East and Southsouth has seized vehicles with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of about N675 million.

    The zone made 155 seizures between January and June this year,  of which 86 are vehicles. Among the seized vehicles are 51 cars, 25 jeeps and 10 trucks.

    The Customs Area Controller, Victor David Dimka, said 19 suspects were arrested in connection with the seized items, while 24 cases are in court, adding that the action was taken to serve as deterrence to others.

    He said the seizures were made in Benin, Agbor, Asaba, Owerri, Enugu, Port-Harcourt and Calabar.

    Also intercepted, Dimka said, was a truck with 600 bags of 50kg wheat flour and 150 gallons of empty rubber Jeri cans and drums which were deceitfully used to conceal 492 pieces of 225/65/R15 used car tyres, the tyres, explained, pose a serious danger to commuters and other road users as some of the tyres have expired.

    Dimka said two other trucks carrying over 1,200 cartons of foreign soap and bags of imported rice were intercepted.

    He said though some of the drivers of the seized vehicles are still at large; his unit has spread its dragnet to track them down wherever they might be hibernating in line with the renewed efforts of the Nigeria Customs Service to drastically reduce smuggling to the barest minimum in the country.

    Dimka said the driver of one of the trucks, has been apprehended by his officers and he has been charged to court.

    “Some of the seized vehicles were taken in as abandoned seizures because their drivers absconded at the point of arrest. But they will be fished out through our intelligence network and will be subjected to the full weight of the law,” he said, adding,

    “I feel so sadden when some people cannot use their money for something meaningful and beneficial to themselves and their families, instead of resorting to smuggling which is injurious to the economy of our dear country, Nigeria.”

    He said people are bent on circumventing the new automobile policy of the federal government by smuggling in vehicles and warned that most of the smugglers who run away when their smuggled vehicles are being caught will be traced through the information on their fake registration papers.

    The smugglers, Dimka said, should note that the NCS is better equipped today to tackle such challenges and many more.

  • NIWA holds conference in Uyo

    The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) is organising a two day National Conference on the Inland Waterways Transportation Code from tomorrow to Thursday, at Le’ Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.

    The conference, NIWA said,  is to fashion out a new Inland Waterways Transportation Code that will provide navigational regulations and guidelines as it relates to safety and other sundry matters on our inland waterways.

    The conference, it was learnt, will provide recommendations that will enable Nigeria to domesticate the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Conventions and Protocols as it affects navigational regulations on inland waterways and allows the country to qualify meet the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines on safety and therefore, conform with the Global Best Practices.

    Alkwa State Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio is the Special Guest of Honour while the  Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar will deliver the keynote address. The Managing Director of NIWA, Hajiya Inna Maryam Ciroma, is the Chief Host.

    All the stakeholders, including the Commissioners of Transport and FCT are expected stakeholders at the Conference.

  • LCCI cautions on Auto Policy

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has cautioned the Federal Government against the new automotive policy, saying that the policy may affect the economy negatively.

    Speaking during the chamber’s quarterly press conference in Lagos, its President, Alhaji Aderemi Bello, said the increase in the import tariffs and levies on motor vehicles is harmful, not only to the economy, but the welfare of the citizens as well.

    He linked the uncertainties in the business environment in the second quarter of the year to epileptic power supply, security challenges and the high cost of securing credit.

    “It is inappropriate to begin to pursue a self-reliant automobile industry with the imposition of high import tariffs, where there are fundamental supply issues to contend with.

    “The creation of a sustainable automobile industry should be premised on high local value addition and capacity for backward integration, strong engineering infrastructure especially on iron rod, steel and foundries.

    “Also, it depends on affordable finance of between 25 and 35 per cent cost of fund to investors, creation of sound infrastructure like power and transportation.

    “A lot needs to be done on these key issues if the economy must grow at the least desired rate in the subsequent quarter.

    “We urge stakeholders in the political space to manage the transition programme to boost the growth of the economy which seriously includes the cost of doing business and job creation,” he said.

    Bello said that power supply, insecurity and credit were the major challenges that stifled investment and growth in the second quarter.

    According to him, the chamber’s  Business Environment Survey revealed that key sectors in the economy like construction, agriculture, manufacturing, oil and gas have experienced poor growth.

    “Manufacturers, especially SMEs, still have major challenges as sticky access to credit, influx of fake and substandard products, regulatory infractions, and worsening power supply.

  • Manufacturers’ cargoes trapped at Lagos ports

    Manufacturers’ cargoes trapped at Lagos ports

    Some manufacturing firms are finding it tough at the Lagos ports.

    Their goods have been trapped because of the traffic gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and the delay in moving their trucks to the ports, The Nation has learnt.

    A clearing agent close to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Mr Rasak Balogun said goods worth millions of naira belonging to five companies are trapped at the Tin Can Island and Apapa ports.

    The delay, he said, has “serious implication” for the firms’ production, if the government fails to address the issue.

    The delay has led to the payment of huge demurrage to shipping companies and rent to terminal operators.

    It is also affecting their targets for this quarter (July – September).

    The firms’agents are shuttling from office to office, in and outside the ports, to speed up clearing.

    Importers and clearing agents are also in the same boat, it was learnt.

    Besides, banks are on their necks to service their loans.

    Sources close to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said it takes ships on the Lagos waters between eight and 10 days to berth at the ports.

    The importers, manufacturers and agents are urging the Minister of Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to “exercise her powers under Section 152 of CEMA” to waive all demurrage and other charges on the affected goods.

    An importer, who pleaded for anonymity, said he took a loan to import rice, adding that the ship arrived at the port between June 26 and 28, but could not discharge its goods until July 7.

    He said his bank has been pursuing him for part-payment, which was due last month,  adding that the demurrage is huge.

    “Rice business is a big business. The majority of those of us in the business take loans from the banks to remain in the trade. Once there is a delay in offloading the rice from the ship or in moving the rice out of the terminals, we pay a lot of money to the shipping company, the terminal operators and the truck drivers.

    “The delay we are facing was caused by the neglect of improving port facilities by the Federal Government. The major responsibility of the government is to make access in and out of the ports easy for users.

    “But when a journey of less than 15 minutes from Mile 2 to Apapa ports now takes almost eight hours for truck drivers, who can withstand the rigour, and you need about 10 trucks to enter the terminal to carry your goods where others are also struggling to move out their own on time to avoid demurrage, the problem is better imagined than observed,” he said.

    On the challenges of servicing the loans, Balogun said: “The increase in ship and cargo dwell time has slowed down activities in cargo clearance and this has caused build-ups and tension at the ports. The delay has resulted in the payment of huge demurrage to shipping companies and rent to terminal operators by importers and clearing agents. Before, we take delivery of between 10 and 20 containers at the ports daily. Right now, we can hardly take delivery of two containers because of the delays. Once your goods are at the port, you are in trouble because you cannot use the raw materials or produce and the bank will not allow you to sleep.’’

  • NPA unveils plan to rehabilitate Oshodi-Apapa Express road

    Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Mallam Habib Abdullahi has expressed concern over the gridlock at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos.

    Abdullahi attributed the gridlock to the bad access roads, adding that they have been worsened by the rains and the reconstruction of the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway.

    He called for collaboration among stakeholders to address the problem. Abdullahi said NPA plans to meet stakeholders to seek a way forward with.

    The agency, he said, would cooperate and work with relevant government agencies and stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the perennial traffic jam.

    He praised the Federal Ministry of Works for the re-construction of the road and Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola for finding a solution to the problem.

    Abdullahi appealed to the construction firms to expedite work on the road, adding that the NPA has also embarked on remedial work on the common user roads to alleviate the problem.

    He said NPA was partnering with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on its Train for Trade Port Training Programme so that it can continue to keep abreast of developments in ports’ operation.

    Speaking when a delegation of the UN’s agency visited him in Lagos, he said training was important to NPA, adding that because of the competition from other ports in the West Africa sub-region, there was the need for operators in the industry to acquire necessary skills that will facilitate efficient and smooth operations.

    Abdullahi said NPA’s Human Resources Division would liaise with the UNCTAD team to determine areas of needs and how best both parties could benefit from the collaboration.

    The leader of the UNCTAD delegation, Mark Assaf, said the Train for Trade Port Training Programme, which is run in conjunction with Irish Aid of the Irish Government, operates through four language-based networks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

    Assaf said the programme was part of UNCTAD’s Corporate Social Responsibility to developing countries and a way of showing commitment to ports’ operations globally.

    Urging the NPA to assist in mobilising stakeholders to key into it, he said the programme has been of immense benefit to participating countries.

    The UNCTAD delegation also met with the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Shippers Council, Nigeria Customs Service, terminal operators, clearing agents and visited Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.

  • PAAR: Customs at Seme generates over N1b

    The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command has generated N1,084,644,883 through the implementation of the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) and the Vehicle Import Transit (VIT) at the border.

    It wsa gathered that the schemes have eased vehicles importation and other items.

    Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Abdullah Dikko, it was learnt, introduced the schemes to secure the country, reduce smuggling, improve revenue collection and facilitate trade at ports and border stations.

    Investigation revealed that Nigeria-bound trucks are scanned by Customs officers, while100 per cent physical examination is carried out on suspected trucks by the scanning machine to avoid the importation of prohibited and dangerous goods.

    With the introduction of the schemes, the Customs officers no longer engage in the hazardous task of chasing smugglers through the bushes.

    Its Public Relations Officer, Ernest Olottah said: “The scheme has reduced smuggling of vehicles and increased the revenue  generation of the command.”

    He attributed the increase in revenue to the VIT scheme.

    Meanwhile, Olottah has warned the public against the purported sales or auction of vehicles at the command.

    In a statement, he said: “Our attention had been drawn to the news that some internet fraudsters have been impersonating the Nigeria Customs Service by defrauding unsuspecting members of the public with the purported ‘Auction Sales at Seme Command.

    “The NCS has often warned the public on our Customs Duty programme broadcast on NTA International at 8:30pm every Monday. Yet, it appears some people are not paying attention. We, therefore, plead with the media to assist us in enlightening the public that there is nothing of such at Seme Area Command.”

  • Fed Govt rakes in N2.2b monthly from CIS

    The nod by President Goodluck Jonathan for the transfer of Destination Inspection (DI) scheme from scanning service providers to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has started yielding positive results as the Customs generates over N2.2billion monthly into Federal Government’s coffers as one per cent of the Comprehensive Import Supervision (CIS) scheme.

    The amount would have accrued to destination inspection service providers if they were still handling the scheme.

    Speaking at a training  for maritime journalists in Lagos, Customs Deputy Controller Olugboyega Peters said the N2.2 billion revenue was part of the many gains of Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) introduced by Customs on January 1, this year.

    He, however, said contrary to speculations that the money would be kept in Customs’purse, this was not so.

    “We are yet to receive part of the money, but I am sure it will be given. Over N2.2 billion is being saved monthly by Customs as money that could have gone into the coffers of the service providers,” he said.

    He said the service is fully automated and that the initial hiccups it encountered in the transmission of PAAR from its ruling centre in Abuja to the customers’banks have all been surmounted and resolved.

    According to him, Customs clearing document is being managed by a network provider, Webfontain.

    Peters said genuine importers can obtain PAAR in six hours, adding that Customs has cleared the 99,000 backlog of PAARs it inherited from the former service providers.

    West Blue network provider, he said, handles Customs training schools and help in developing soft ware for its young officers.

  • How to make ports road motorable, by agents

    How to make ports road motorable, by agents

    Agents have found a partial solution to the dilapidated Oshodi-Apapa Expressway in Lagos.

    They are asking the Federal Government to use part of the money made from the ports to fix the roads leading to the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.

    In a petition, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) said it was sad over the deplorable Lagos and Onne port roads. It lashed the government for the poor state of the roads, which they said is affecting quick cargo delivery, endangering workers’ lives and making things difficult for those are living and doing businesses around the areas.

    The letter, signed by ANLCA’s president, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, sought explanation on what the government uses the money realised from the ports for.

    The petition it copied the National Confrence, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy/Minister of Finance, Ministers of Transport, Works and Housing and Urban Development, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Lagos State Governor, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

    A source said ANLCA and other  stakeholders became worried when they learnt that previous efforts by Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola to get the government to mend the roads failed.

    “Is it good to read on the pages of newspapers that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) generates over N70 billion monthly from the Lagos ports without any corresponding development of the roads that lead to the ports?” the source queried.

    “Even the Customs Comptroller-General, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi, said it recently at a forum in London that the service generates about N100 billion monthly and we are sure that about 80 per cent of the amount is generated in Lagos, why is the government finding it difficult to develop port infrastructure to make it attractive for business and generate more money? ” the source said.

    Shittu said the group met and resolved that the government should be asked to fix the roads.

    He said: “Letters to the Federal Government alone, this time around, will not be enough. Advertisement of such interventions in the newspapers may follow, to put pressure on the Federal Government to intervene, to save the lives of Nigerians suffering and dying on these roads everyday.

    “ANLCA is cooperating with other equally concerned stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy, to articulate and strategise on the best way to tackle the menace of the completely broken down road infrastructure, that is affecting the delivery of Cargoes, endangering the lives of workers in and around Apapa, and generally making life unbearable for Nigerians around these areas.

    “Other operational challenges in the ports were discussed and we resolved that they should be aggregated in writing, for appropriate action, especially against some shipping companies, through their home countries.”

    By resolving to go through their home countries to resolve the challenges, Shittu said,  it was in the realisation of this that their regulators have been compromised to look the other way, Nigerians are continuously extorted by these shipping firms and some terminal operators.

    The ANLCA chief also said he was aware that the Lilypond Customs Command at Ijora, Lagos alone, collected N2.2 billion revenue in April and another N2.37 billion in May not talk of of other big commands in Apapa and Tin-Can ports.

    Shittu berated the poor development of port infrastructure by the Federal Government, urging President Goodluck  Jonathan to address the issue.

  • NPA to become Africa’s leading port, says MD

    The Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) may become the leading port in West and Central Africa, following the berthing of the largest vessel in Lagos, its Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has said.

    Abdullahi, who said a roadmap to actualise urged the workers to ensure that NPA obtained that status by providing a safe, secure and customer friendly environment.

    Speaking at the opening of a retreat to fashion out a five-year strategic development plan for the NPA, Abdullahi urged the staff to make the ports attractive for business.

    He advised top officials to embrace new technology and innovation so as to realised NPA’s vision.

    NPA’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration,Olumide Oduntan, told the Executive Directors, General Managers, Assistant General Managers and Port Managers to follow the direction outlined in the firm’s vision and mission.

    After viewing a video clip on the Port of Singapore, Oduntan said: “Nothing happens by chance. Somebody or group of people dreamt about what is happening now in Singapore and other major ports of the world some years ago and that is why we are here to make sure we become the best in Africa.”

    Participants at the event urged the workers to be efficient, adding that the firm should look into its reward system, work environment, motivation, attitudinal change, succession plans, political interference, multiplicity of agencies at the ports, monitoring and performance evaluation, among others.

    Meanwhile, the NPA boss has called for mutual economic cooperation between NPA and the Port of Hong Kong, especially in the area of training and manpower development.

    Abdullahi made the call in Lagos while receiving the International President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Dr. Dorothy Chan in Lagos.

    He said NPA has operated the landlord model of port operation since 2006 after port terminals were concessioned to private operators.

    Abdullahi said the agency would be willing to avail its experiences to other ports that may wish to operate the system, adding that NPA has benefited from the programmes of CILT and other organisations like the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), among others.

    While acknowledging the support of the International President for the Nigerian chapter, he assured Chan that NPA would continue to support CILT in the country.

    The first female president of the 95- year-old institute said she was aware of the enormous contributions NPA and appealed to Abdullahi to assist CILT Nigeria for its bill before the National Assembly.

  • NIWA begins survey on wrecks’ removal

    The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has embarked on a survey of all wrecks and derelicts posing risks to safe navigation, its Managing Director, Hajiya Mariam Ciroma, has said.

    The survey, she said, became necessary to know where wrecks are located to effect their removal, adding that NIWA is working with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on how to establish and enforce a new inland waterways code on the inland waters.

    She said a stakeholders’ meeting was in the offing to craft a water transport code that would be similar to the one being used by road operators.

    “For us to know where the wrecks and derelicts are, we need to carry out a survey. We have commenced the survey of all the wrecks and derelicts on the river and inland waters to know where they are located so that we can remove them.

    “Apart from this, we are planning to have a sensitisation talk with loggers because they sometimes work at the back of the river and they drop these logs there, thereby polluting the river, this causes a lot of problems for boat users. So, we intend to carry out a sensitisation programme for the loggers and other business enterprises that contribute to polluting our rivers,” she said.

    While stressing the need to adopt the international code for water transport users, the NIWA boss said the agency is contacting state governments, the road safety agency, Nigerian Police, Air force and all agencies that have to do with transportation for them to participate in the meeting.

    “We are also contacting the IMO on this, because there is no need to have a regulation that you cannot enforce,” she said.

    She said the agency is distributing at least 500 life jackets at each location it has so far visited, sensitising Nigerians on how to use them, as well as the importance of the life jackets.