The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Customs smashes smuggling ring

    Customs smashes smuggling ring

    The Customs Service has smashed a transborder smuggling ring.

    The gang, which smuggle women and children shoes was ambushed by Customs officials at Mowo near Seme border, last Friday, it was learnt. Shoes worth over N10 million were said to have been seized from the gang.

    Customs officials, it was gathered, monitored the gang for over two days before the clamp down.

    The Seme Customs Command, sources said, has deployed more officers in dealing with the large consignment of foot wears seized from them.

    The smugglers, a source said, use bush paths between Mowo and Badagry to beat the Customs check.

    When The Nation visited Seme last Friday, some Customs officials were opening the bags containing the smuggled goods. The recovered items included new and old women shoes, tins of vegetable oil and children’s wears.

    Contacted, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Ernest  Olottah, said when the smugglers saw the Customs team approaching, they abandoned the goods and ran into the bush to evade arrest.

    He said the anti-smuggling drive of the Customs was part of the government’s move to protect the economy and prevent the influx of prohibited goods.

    He said: “ By smuggling what Nigeria has the capacity to produce locally, we are inadvertently sustaining the employment of some unknown foreigners elsewhere, while working to also keep some of our able-bodied youths out of job.

    “Our Command is not unaware of the smugglers’ drive to beat us by applying unusual means, especially as we have efficiently and strategically positioned our officers on the bush paths and other likely routes they may wish to take. But the truth is that wherever the smugglers are, we are there monitoring their movement to arrest and prosecute them.”

  • Shippers Council warns against admitting ‘quacks’

    The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Shippers Council(NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, has urged the Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) to stop admitting “charlatans” into the group.

    He said the Council had, over the years, protected the interest of the shippers.

    Bello urged the shippers’ associations to emulate SALS by coming together to work with the Shippers’ Council in advocating quality service delivery by service providers.

    Bello said: “We are very optimistic that the formation of the shippers associations will among other things, serve as an avenue for disseminating useful information on international trade transaction to members.

    “Since the inception of the Council in 1978, it has been playing a major role in protecting the interest of shippers by rendering tremendous assistance to shippers in negotiating for favourable freight rate.”

    The NSC, Bello said, had been at the vanguard of domesticating the international trade convention on carriage of goods, such as the Hamburg Rules in order to create a favourable trade balance for the country.

    SALS’s President Rev. Jonathan Nicole said the group would work with the NSC to reduce the challenges facing his colleagues, adding that Nigeria loses nearly N24billion yearly to vessels clearance delays at the port. This, according to him, can be clarified with the Union of African Shippers Council.

  • Chamber laments poor access roads

    The Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has lamented persistent congestion on the ports’access roads, saying it is taking a toll on its members.

    The group said some of its members had been forced to close shop because of lack of access to their businesses.

    On a visit to the Apapa Port, Chairman of its Export Group, Oluyenuwo Olabisi said the congestion and long queue of vehicles were creating problems for the export group Containers, he said, were sometimes turned back, while most of the time, they miss appointment with their ships, leading to huge losses.

    He lamented that the concessionaires do not have enough capacity for containers, which is impacting negatively and resulting to the gridlock experienced in the transportation of the containers.

    Olabisi also called on the Port Manager, Nasir Mohammed, to address delays suffered by exporters, saying priority should be given to the exporters, as against empty containers that go into the ports.

    Chief Executive Officer, Harlink Investment Limited, Alhaji Inaolaji Nofiu, also called for greater efficiency of the port concessionaires, complaining that most of them do not have enough cargo capacity for export and empty containers.

    He called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to check corruption at the ports, saying the vice is affecting the export business of their members.

    Responding, Mohammed called for a collaborative effort among all the stakeholders in the ports, saying the NPA is also worried about the congestion at the ports and the losses it occasioned for exporters.

    He said the agency is devising measures to check the congestion, adding that investigation has revealed that the congestion is occasioned by the failure of the shipping companies and terminal operators to provide holding bays for ships.

    He also decried the attitude of truckers that bring in containers even when they are not scheduled to enter the ports.

  • NIMASA cautions firms against polluting ports

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has warned shipping companies against polluting the ports. It said it had adopted best practices to protect marine resources from ship pollution.

    NIMASA’s Director-Geenral, Patrick Akpobolokemi urged the firms to use the waterways well or face the law, adding that pollution must be tackled to make the waterways cleaner.

    He said he was not happy that general environmental issues were not considered by some oil and gas firms in the country.

    NIMASA, he said, would soon issue roadmap on Marine Waste Management in Nigeria.

    He said NIMASA would domesticate some International Maritime Organisation (IMO) codes and conventions to protect the maritime sector.

    Akpobolokemi said IMO and domestic laws were considered in planning the road map structured to provide the ideal platform to grow the business of managing waste generated in the maritime environment.

    He plegded the agency’s support for public-private partnership model to facilitate effective management of ship-generated waste within the marine and coastal environment.

    Chairman, Sea and Cargo Logistics Raphael Christopher alleged that many foreign ships were polluting the nation’s territorial waters with waste and depleting fish stocks.

    At a seminar organised by sea workers in Lagos, he urged the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, to fashion out a policy that will facilitate effective management of ship-generated waste within the marine and coastal environment.

    Christopher said 28 countries, with an aggregate merchant shipping tonnage of 26.37 per cent of the world total, have ratified the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) convention.

  • 2m boat users on Lagos waters

    Over two million people now use boats in Lagos monthly, according to Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).

    LASWA said it had confiscated hundreds of sub-standard life jackets from boat operators in the state.

    Over 5,000 standard life jackets, LASWA said, would be distributed freely to boat users for protection.

    LASWA took the decision after confiscating more than 450 sub-standard life jackets from boat operators.

    Its Managing Director, Mr Olayinka Marinho, made this known in Lagos, saying: “We have now reached a stage where we have been able to move about two million people per month.  So, safety should be more paramount to us.”

    Marinho, who said the authority had the mandate to make the waterways safe for travelers, said safety equipment would be given to people using the waterways.

    He urged boat operators to provide standard life jackets for their passengers to complement the government’s efforts to make the waterways safe for all users.

    “We have been giving out free life jackets to people, even to the leaders of various communities around our jetties.

    “No fewer than 5,000 life jackets will be distributed this year to further enhance safety around the waterways,’’ Marinho said.

    The LASWA boss said the gesture was part of the company’s effort to make water transportation safe for users.

    “We are making efforts to guard against unforeseen circumstances by providing safety equipment. Passengers are always encouraged to use their life jackets before embarking on any voyage and this has been helpful,” he said.

  • Dikko urges men to be diligent

    Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi has urged his men to be more diligent and committed to work amid plans to generate N1.2 trillion this year.

    He also warned revenue offenders to desist from their illegal activities because hard time awaits them this year.

    He said this year is full of challenges, urging Customs officers to be patriotic in carrying out their responsibilities.

    Abdullahi promised sustained commitment to ongoing reforms and modernisation, adding that the NCS had never had it good in technological transformation than last year when it developed Nigeria Integrated Custom Information System(NCIS) which has started working smoothly.

    He said: “Today the modern Customs is about trade facilitation. We want to prove to the Federal Government that we have come of age and we have built the technological competence that can stand the test of time.”

    The CG explained that part of the board’s resolutions was the elevation of senior officers to managerial positions, following the voluntary retirement of three Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs), who were also members of the board.

  • 2013: NLNG blames NIMASA for failure to meet target

    The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) has blamed its inability to meet its target of 325-cargo shipments last year on its feud with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

    During the dispute, which arose from the alleged non-payment of levy by NLNG, NIMASA bloked the firm’s channel in Bonny, Rivers State, stopping it from exporting 45 cargoes of gas.

    NLNG’s Head, Gas supply Emmanuel Nnabuife said the blockade affected business, promising to make up for it this year.

    The firm, he said, would meet the 325-cargo target this year, barring any unforeseen hitch, noting that despite last year’s problem, NLNG paid $140 million levy to NIMASA.

    He put the plant’s availability last year at 94 per cent just as in 2012 when it achieved cargo production of 333, the highest in NLNG’s history. Nnabuife, however, said the plant’s utilisation was less because of feedstock issues.

    NLNG, he said, had 24 LNG ships under its control, adding that it owns 13 while 11 are on long-term charter. The firm plans to buy six new ships between now and 2016 at an estimated cost of over $1.408 billion.

    These vessels would help create jobs for trained cadets, seafarers as well as captains and engineers, among others workers, he said.

    He said part of NLNG’s intervention in capacity building was the award of scholarships to 26 cadets in the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State.

    H said: “NLNG continues to support Nnabuife to train manpower for the industry. Warsash Maritime Academy, Southampton was engaged to review MAN’s Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) 95 courses. Warsash Maritime Academy is also required to facilitate the accreditation of MAN’s issuance of MCA approved certificates. STCW enables Nigerian seafarers get placement on both Nigerian and foreign flagged vessels.”

    When contacted, NIMASA spokesman Mr. Isichei Osamgbi, said the agency would not want to comment because the case is still in court. He said: “I will not make any comment on that issue because the case is still in court and any comment we make on that matter will be prejudicial.”

  • NIMASA to verify seafarers’ certificate online

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has launched an online application system that will enable verification of the authenticity of seafarers’ Certificates of Competency (CoC) anywhere in the world.

    The new CoC verification system, according to a statement issued by the Deputy Director/Head Public Relations, Isichei Osamgbi, was presented to maritime stakeholders recently in Lagos at an interactive forum organised by the Agency to highlight the special features of the system.

    In his welcome address, the Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi noted that the initiative is part of the Agency’s efforts to ensure that operations of NIMASA are in line with acceptable International best practice.

    Akpobolokemi, whose address was read by the Agency’s Executive Director, Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Capt. Ezekiel Agaba, explained that the online CoC verification system is cost effective and much more reliable.

    He said: “our commitment to ensure professionalism in the Nigerian maritime sector is unflinching. Our goal is to attain maximum efficiency in the process of certificate verifications which can now be done from any part of the world at any time. The era of fake certificate is over in the Nigerian Maritime Sector.”

    He urged shipping companies seeking authenticity of the Certificates of Competency (CoC) for seafarers to take advantage of the online method.

    Agaba assured stakeholders of the Agency’s resolve to continue to build the required capacity to meet the domestic and international obligations adding that that could only be achieved through collective determination.

    Stakeholders applauded the efforts of the Agency’s capacity building initiatives and pledged their continuous support towards the growth of the sector.

    Captain Niyi Labinjo, General Secretary of the Nigerian Ship Owners Association (NISA), expressed the association’s readiness to work closely with NIMASA and appealed that more should be done in the area of training.

  • Groups seek new ports regulator

    The National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) and the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) are seeking a change in the ports regulator.

    They said they would prefer the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as the regulator.

    The group expressed their disenchantment over the way the management of NPA neglect their interests. The groups’ endorsed the Federal Government’s proposal to make the Nigerian Shippers Council the commercial regulator of port operations, saying the NPA has failed to take their interests into consideration in its decisions since the concession of the ports several years ago.

    ANLCA expressed confidence in NSC to take up the commercial regulation of the ports as it has all the data on port operations and cargoes in the ports.

    The National Secretary of NCMDLCA, Uchu Block, said agents and their principals had been left at the mercy of shipping companies and terminal operators.

    Block said: “We cry about this regulator issue but the thing is that when Sarunmi was in charge of NPA, he tried to regulate most of these things. When he left NPA for Nigeria Shippers Council and became the boss there, NPA and everybody came under Shippers’ Council. Since he left, nobody is talking about this regulator issue and we have nowhere to turn to for our problems with the shipping companies or port concessionaires.”

    On who should be the regulator, Block said: “We have the Shippers’ Council there and by their name, they are supposed to protect the interest of Nigerian shippers. If they are given the power to regulate and punish anybody who does not play according to rules, then I think things will improve because we would hold them responsible for any illegal charges.”

    A member of the ANLCA, Tin Can Port chapter, Patrick Okafor, accused NPA management of only interested in collecting money. Okafor noted that NPA was not concerned about what is happening in the ports.

  • Customs agents accuse NPA of bias

    The National President, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, has called for consistent government policies in the maritime sector.

    Shittu told The Nation that Nigerian ports would have been the preferred port in the sub-region if not for inconsistent policies, urging the government and other stakeholders to address the problem.

    He noted that port operators complain about multiple charges by terminal operators and shipping companies without considering the problems that terminal operators and shipping companies face.

    He said: “All the things that we were crying against in 2011, 2012 still recurred in 2013. When you banned rice, somebody who goes abroad and is returning home will say, let me just bring in only 10 bags of rice and distribute to my people and the 10 bags of rice pass through the port.

    “If 10 bags of such rice are contained in 200,000 containers, imagine how many bags of rice that have entered into the country or is it illegal to bring food to your people to enable them eat? So the 10 bags coming into the country, some people will benefit from it.

    “We are talking of smuggling now, when 20 armed smugglers meet a Customs officer on the way, what will happen? But when our import regime is friendly, there are no alternatives to Nigerian ports. But in Cotonou, you must pay for all the charges, and must put these things in an effective transport mode and you also deal with folks who want to make money from you resulting in additional cost. By the time it gets to Balogun, the goods will be so expensive than when you ship them through our ports.”

    On multiple charges by terminal operators and shipping companies, Shittu said: “Even up till now we have not been able to identify what people call multiple charges. It was in 2012 that the Minister of Transport through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) granted increase in storage charges in order to discourage people from using the ports for storage purposes.

    “A least charges have remained constant. There is no terminal operator that has deliberately increased charges but that does not mean that the charges at the port are acceptable to all stakeholders.

    “The concession agreement states that when changes are to be effected, stakeholders meeting should be called but it is regrettable that NPA has deliberately ignored this provision over the years.”

    The ANLCA boss said NPA only called terminal operators and shipping companies and neglects other stakeholders.

    He warned that unless government made deliberate efforts to correct some of these problems, stakeholders may resort to self-help, which he said would not be in the nation’s interest.