The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Customs seizes rice, vehicles

    A Mitsubishi Triton L200, 2005 Model, belonging to Blue Boat Company, has been intercepted by operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command for rice smuggling.

    The vehicle was conveying the commodity along Lagos-Badagry Expressway. The detained vehicle with registration number GGE 417 XU has Duty of N747,877.63 with Duty Paid Value of N3,337,316.

    The Seme Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Uba Garba Mohammed, said it took intelligence to discover the contents of the vehicle, which he said had beaten other road blocks before it was intercepted.

    The former Federal Operations Unit, Zone A boss noted that the driver escaped, while the van was taken to the command. According to the Controller, 27 other vehicles were nabbed, including 22 fairly used ones.

    He added that notable among them are Toyota Coaster Van (2014 model), Toyota Land cruiser Prado (2011), Mercedes Benz GLK 350 (2010), Toyota Sienna (2013), Toyota 4 Runner (2014).

    He said the combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) for the vehicles stand at N177,314,091.

    Other items seized by the command within the same period include 6,753 bags of 50kg foreign rice, which is said to be equivalent to N121,689,00 DPV with levy of N35,790,900; 45 ×25 litres jerry cans of vegetable oil with DPV of N573,750. 135×50kg of bags of sugar with DPV of N567,000; 71×25 litres of PMS with DPV of N106,500; 21 cartons of Tinned Tomatoes with N127,575 and two sacks of used shoes with N67, 500.

    The Area Controller said 91 parcels of hard drugs and narcotics  were seized, adding that they have been handed over to the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). One of the suspects handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had been prosecuted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

    The command’s generated N1,055,122,539.68 last month.

  • Our plan to decongest Apapa road, by truck owners

    Truck owners have unveiled their plan to decongest the port access roads at Apapa, Lagos.

    They said plans were at an advanced stage to ensure that the roads were not used as parking lot.

    Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) Chairman Remi Ogungbemi said a new regime requiring only trucks with letters to move to the ports was being put in place.

    According to him, truck drivers and owners will be undergoing training on how to get the call-up letters before going to the port.

    Any truck without such letter will be parked at the holding bays or garages to avoid congesting the roads, Ogungbemi said.

    He frowned on extortion of money from members at ports by security agents.

    Ogungbemi said members had been told not to bow to any form of intimidation by security agents operating on the port access roads.

    Ogungbemi said despite the denial by security agents, the unlawful payments were still going on under coercion.

    “Each truck is made to pay between N80,000 and N100,000 before entering the ports and this happens more at night. We are now urging all our members to stop the payment no matter the intimidation,” he said.

    He assured members that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was behind the body in this move. He sought members’ cooperation to guarantee success in stopping the unlawful payments, which, according to him, has increased the cost of doing business in the port.

    “We are aware some people do benefit from a state of confusion like what obtains on port roads. Such people will not want the confusion to stop, but we are determined to achieve success,” Ogunremi said.

     

  • Lawyers, agents hail govt policy on rice

    Maritime lawyers and clearing agents have praised the Federal Government over the ban on rice importation through the land borders. The policy has reduced importation of rice and increased local production, they said.

    Speaking with The Nation, a maritime lawyer and university don, Dr Dipo Alaka, said Nigerians should support the policy.

    The Federal Government banned rice importation through the land borders and that has reduced rice importation and paved the way for more investments in local rice farming.

    “The policy is good because it has reduced rice importation and many state governments have embarked on large scale production of rice. For instance, there is collaboration between  Lagos State government and Kebbi State government on massive rice farming and, Enugu and Ebonyi states are also doing something good in that regard,” he said.

    A clearing agent, Mr Felix Ibidun said why foreign rice still dominate the market despite efforts to reduce its importation into the country “is based on the activities of the smugglers.

    “Many Nigerians now prefer buying Nigerian rice. I prefer to buy. So, I think the governments also have to encourage those who are producing them by buying them whenever they produce them and I think the government should support them in terms of raw materials that they would need and grant soft loans to those, who want to go into production of rice.

    “The policy is good. We are looking inwards and a lot of people are being engaged and a lot more people should be encouraged by making available subsidy like fertilisers to encourage those who want to go into production and those who would produce what they would eat and what they can sell to the public. So, I think the policy should be sustained by the government, “ Ibidun said.

  • Nigeria’s first ocean terminal coming

    Nigeria may soon get its first ocean terminal that will facilitate oil and gas trade.

    The terminal, which will be in Akwa Ibom State, where its promoters have acquired 245 hectares, of waterfront land for the project.

    The terminal is expected to help investors in the shipping of oil and gas vessels.

    Such vessels cannot berth at the regular ports and related terminals because of their depth.

    The coming of the ocean terminal will enhance Nigeria’s status in the maritime world.

    The multi-billion dollars offshore maritime infrastructure was conceived 10 years ago in conjunction with some Nigerian/Akwa Ibom professionals and foreign maritime experts.

    To facilitate its birth, its promoters, Port Notel, have asked Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel to grant them a Certificate-of-Occupancy (C-of-O) for the land at Ntafre Community.

    It is believed that the C-of-O will be proof of the government’s commitment to partner with the private sector on development.

    Port Notel Limited (PNL) Manging Director,  Victor Akpanika said such partnership will turn the country into a major regional maritime hub with a vibrant shipping cluster and trans-shipment mode capable of servicing the various continents.

    He said the involvement of more private investors in the state would do it good in the short and long run.

    Akpanika spoke when a delegation of Ibeno leaders visited the governor.

    Akpanika said Nigeria’s maritime domain was large enough to accommodate many players, especially when it is considered as the gateway to West and Central Africa.

    According to him, the country’s economic strength lies in its ability to freely transport goods by sea, but owing to its deficiency in facilities, it is unable to interface with the global maritime marketplace.

    He said: “Nigeria currently has sufficient maritime market demand space that is very attractive to port developers, operators, financiers seeking to invest in port terminal and jetty facilities.  Several littoral and hinterland states are pushing themselves forward to attract local and foreign investors to come and invest in ocean, coastal, river or inland dry port facilities.

    The governor said the Ibom Deep Seaport has gone far with the technical procurement processes completed, adding that the Port Notel project is still at its early planning development phase.

  • Maritime workers seek rail transport removal from Exclusive list

    The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has urged the Federal Government to remove rail transportation from the Exclusive Legislative list and add it to Concurrent list to attract private investments to the sector. This, they said, will enhance efficiency at the seaports.

    Speaking with The Nation, the union’s Assistant Secretary-General, Comrade Abudu Eroje, said the country was facing gridlock in Apapa because the ports were not connected to functional rail lines.

    According to him, aside the Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa, which has a rail system that is not working, none of the seaports is connected to rail system. This, he lamented, has made movement of cargoes in and out of the seaports difficult, since it must be by road, with the attendant gridlock and additional cost.

    He said the gridlock being experienced in Apapa and environs will be a child’s play compared to what will be experienced in Badagry and Lekki when the two mega deep seaports become operational if they are not connected by rail

    “Nobody can talk of an efficient seaport operation without an efficient rail system to move goods in and out of the ports. Even if you repair all the roads in Apapa, there will still be gridlock because it will keep increasing until you connect the seaports to the rail systems so that cargoes will go out and come in any time of the day because the seaports operate 24 hours.

    “The best the Federal Government can do now is to remove the rail system from the exclusive legislative list and place same on the concurrent list so that state governments, even private investors, some of who are developing mega deep seaports, can invest in the rail sector without which the nation’s seaports may never be efficient,” he said.

    On problems associated with the management of empty containers, he urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to convert the Lily Pond Container Terminal, Ijora, which he said, has the capacity to take over 12,000 containers, to empty container depot to avoid containers littering everywhere on Lagos roads and streets.

    He argued that the transfer of some consignments to eastern ports, especially the Port Harcourt Port, as being canvassed by some people, might not address the challenge, saying it will cost the importer over N2 million to return one empty container to Lagos.

    The only permanent solution, according to him, is the dredging of the eastern channels to take vessels as well as decentralising rail systems by allowing individuals to invest in the sector.

  • Union calls for involvement in CVFF disbursement

    The Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNWTSSA), and other stakeholders in the maritime sector have urged the Federal Government to acquire ships and disburse the Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds (CVFF) to boost the economy.

    Its National President, Comrade Matthew Alalade, said it was the only way to revive the sector’s fortunes  this year.

    Alalade maintained that ship acquisition would enable the government to provide jobs for the teeming youth who are currently unemployed.

    He added that if the ship owners are given the CVFF early in the year, they will be able to acquire vessels that will be classed to lift Nigeria’s crude oil and thereby creat wealth for the nation and its citizens.

    His words: “My expectations are for the government to acquire ships for the teeming youth and disbursement of CVFF to genuine prospective ship owners. At our entire vessel owners must partake in lifting of our crude also.”

    Speaking further, Alalade called on the government to involve unions in the sector in the negotiation before disbursing the funds to avoid it ending up in private pockets.

    “But especially in government, negotiations must involve the unions/seafarers for national and productivity, so that the funds will not fly as national cake as in the past with no success. Involve the Unions,” he admonished.

    On the intervention of seafarers in prison, he quipped that the union was constrained on any further assistance to the inmates since they are not members of the union.

    “On the seafarers in custody, we have done our best to counsel them to join the Union in line with MLC 2006/2010 as amended. It is difficult for the Association to go further on non-financial members.

    “As at now, most of those serving did not come to update their membership,” he said.

  • INTELS empowers fresh batch of 92 women

    Nigeria’s leading oil and gas logistics company,INTELS Nigeria Limited, has trained a fresh batch of 92 women under its Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS).

    WEPSS, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme of INTELS, was established in 2013 with the vision of empowering 5,000 community women in the Niger Delta over a 20-year period through training in fashion design and tailoring.

    The trainees are the second batch of 110 intakes last year. Seventy-seven women had earlier in the year graduated in the first batch.

    An 18-year-old Joy Tom-West emerged the best performing trainee, winning a start-up kit, which included an industrial sewing machine, steam iron, chair, scissors, seam ripper, box of tailors’ chalk and a measuring tape.

    Phillip Embleton, who represented the company’s Managing Director at the event, urged the trainees to use their newly acquired skills for the development of self and community. He also encouraged them to appreciate the dedication and hard work put in by their trainers over the course of the four months the programme lasted.

    Embleton said: “These are our successful candidates of the second session of the WEPSS scheme for 2018. I hope you give a big thank you to all your trainers because they have worked very hard.

    “As you know, this is a community empowerment scheme, so I hope this training will help you in your careers and with your future lives; to use the skills that you have learned for good.”

    WEPSS Project Head, Nancy Freeborn, described the occasion as special because WEPSS clocked five years last November.

    She said: “This graduation is a special one for us because in November 2018, WEPSS turned five. We are very proud to be a part of the journey to success. This project was established in 2013 with the aim of empowering community women through the acquisition of tailoring skills. The project commenced on November 6, 2013 with an intake of 300 rural women.

    “These women were trained for a period of nine months, using different specialised machines and after that, all were retained as factory hands. They remained at WEPSS, working and producing garments. It will interest you to know that WEPSS has produced over 50,000 garments over this period. We have been able to produce this much within our manufacturing infrastructure.”

    Freeborn said WEPSS has, over the years, increased its focus on training programmes while placing less emphasis on garment manufacturing, adding that the centre currently absorbs a minimum of 300 trainees annually, who are taught to produce different types of garments.

    She said: “Through this scheme, INTELS has contributed to the national economy by continuously deploying materials and machines from the global market, thereby promoting Nigerian content development. You would be so amazed to see the types of garments that we have made here, all to international standards.”

    Freeborn added that WEPSS also donated some of its products to charity homes.

    “Every year, WEPSS makes thousands of garments for different charity homes. This year 1,050 garments were donated to the Compassion Centre for the Physically Challenged in Port Harcourt,” she said.

    INTELS Regional Human Resources Manager, Michael Ndon, who was represented at the event by Gabriel Chujor, said: “It is amazing to see what you have done here. All the trainees have done so much. Opportunity has been given to you and you must grab it with two hands. Regardless of your circumstances, all of you have done exceedingly well.”

  • Nigeria’s first ocean terminal coming

    Nigeria may soon get its first ocean terminal that will facilitate oil and gas trade.

    The terminal, which will be in Akwa Ibom State, where its promoters have acquired 245 hectares, of waterfront land for the project.

    The terminal is expected to help investors in the shipping of oil and gas vessels.

    Such vessels cannot berth at the regular ports and related terminals because of their depth.

    The coming of the ocean terminal will enhance Nigeria’s status in the maritime world.

    The multi-billion dollars offshore maritime infrastructure was conceived 10 years ago in conjunction with some Nigerian/Akwa Ibom professionals and foreign maritime experts.

    To facilitate its birth, its promoters, Port Notel, have asked Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel to grant them a Certificate-of-Occupancy (C-of-O) for the land at Ntafre Community.

    It is believed that the C-of-O will be proof of the government’s commitment to partner with the private sector on development.

    Port Notel Limited (PNL) Manging Director,  Victor Akpanika said such partnership will turn the country into a major regional maritime hub with a vibrant shipping cluster and trans-shipment mode capable of servicing the various continents.

    He said the involvement of more private investors in the state would do it good in the short and long run.

    Akpanika spoke when a delegation of Ibeno leaders visited the governor.

    Akpanika said Nigeria’s maritime domain was large enough to accommodate many players, especially when it is considered as the gateway to West and Central Africa.

    According to him, the country’s economic strength lies in its ability to freely transport goods by sea, but owing to its deficiency in facilities, it is unable to interface with the global maritime marketplace.

    He said: “Nigeria currently has sufficient maritime market demand space that is very attractive to port developers, operators, financiers seeking to invest in port terminal and jetty facilities.  Several littoral and hinterland states are pushing themselves forward to attract local and foreign investors to come and invest in ocean, coastal, river or inland dry port facilities.

    The governor said the Ibom Deep Seaport has gone far with the technical procurement processes completed, adding that the Port Notel project is still at its early planning development phase.

  • Union seeks involvement in CVFF disbursement

    The Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNWTSSA), and other stakeholders in the maritime sector have urged the Federal Government to acquire ships and disburse the Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds (CVFF) to boost the economy.

    Its National President, Comrade Matthew Alalade, said it was the only way to revive the sector’s fortunes  this year.

    Alalade maintained that ship acquisition would enable the government to provide jobs for the teeming youth who are currently unemployed.

    He added that if the ship owners are given the CVFF early in the year, they will be able to acquire vessels that will be classed to lift Nigeria’s crude oil and thereby creat wealth for the nation and its citizens.

    His words: “My expectations are for the government to acquire ships for the teeming youth and disbursement of CVFF to genuine prospective ship owners. At our entire vessel owners must partake in lifting of our crude also.”

    Speaking further, Alalade called on the government to involve unions in the sector in the negotiation before disbursing the funds to avoid it ending up in private pockets.

    “But especially in government, negotiations must involve the unions/seafarers for national and productivity, so that the funds will not fly as national cake as in the past with no success. Involve the Unions,” he admonished.

    On the intervention of seafarers in prison, he quipped that the union was constrained on any further assistance to the inmates since they are not members of the union.

    “On the seafarers in custody, we have done our best to counsel them to join the Union in line with MLC 2006/2010 as amended. It is difficult for the Association to go further on non-financial members.

    “As at now, most of those serving did not come to update their membership,” he said.

  • Maritime workers seek rail transport removal from Exclusive list

    The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) has urged the Federal Government to remove rail transportation from the Exclusive Legislative list and add it to Concurrent list to attract private investments to the sector. This, they said, will enhance efficiency at the seaports.

    Speaking with The Nation, the union’s Assistant Secretary-General, Comrade Abudu Eroje, said the country was facing gridlock in Apapa because the ports were not connected to functional rail lines.

    According to him, aside the Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa, which has a rail system that is not working, none of the seaports is connected to rail system. This, he lamented, has made movement of cargoes in and out of the seaports difficult, since it must be by road, with the attendant gridlock and additional cost.

    He said the gridlock being experienced in Apapa and environs will be a child’s play compared to what will be experienced in Badagry and Lekki when the two mega deep seaports become operational if they are not connected by rail

    “Nobody can talk of an efficient seaport operation without an efficient rail system to move goods in and out of the ports. Even if you repair all the roads in Apapa, there will still be gridlock because it will keep increasing until you connect the seaports to the rail systems so that cargoes will go out and come in any time of the day because the seaports operate 24 hours.

    “The best the Federal Government can do now is to remove the rail system from the exclusive legislative list and place same on the concurrent list so that state governments, even private investors, some of who are developing mega deep seaports, can invest in the rail sector without which the nation’s seaports may never be efficient,” he said.

    On problems associated with the management of empty containers, he urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to convert the Lily Pond Container Terminal, Ijora, which he said, has the capacity to take over 12,000 containers, to empty container depot to avoid containers littering everywhere on Lagos roads and streets.

    He argued that the transfer of some consignments to eastern ports, especially the Port Harcourt Port, as being canvassed by some people, might not address the challenge, saying it will cost the importer over N2 million to return one empty container to Lagos.

    The only permanent solution, according to him, is the dredging of the eastern channels to take vessels as well as decentralising rail systems by allowing individuals to invest in the sector.