The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Ship owners, importers back NIMASA’s 5% growth  forecast 

    The Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA), importers and clearing agents have urged the Federal Government to work with the  five per cent growth forecast by the Nigerian Maritime Administrator and Safety Agency ( NIMASA).

    According to them, there has been a steady increase in the level of investments and freight earnings from the sector, urging the government and its agencies at the ports to work with the forecast and see how to improve on it.

    Its President Alhaji Aminu Umar said NISA aligned with the five per cent maritime growth, forecast by NIMASA. He added that commercial banks had shown interest in financing indigenous ship owners, contrary to what obtained during the 2016 economic recession.

    He noted that foreign fund managers have been coming into the country to discuss how to fund maritime assets.

    Umar said there was no doubt that the industry could achieve the five per cent growth and probably surpass it.

    “Based on what we have seen since the beginning of this year, we believe we can surpass the five per cent growth forecast, if not double digit We believe it would be close to the double digit in the maritime sector.

    “The foreign reserve of the country has gone up, this showed a positive impact in the economy, which means that  our banks have the funds  to fund shipping. We have seen positive impact on the banks because they are already talking about funding a lot of maritime assets. So in my own opinion, the outlook is very positive,” he said.

    Umar continued: “Two years ago, banks did not even entertain you talking about funding; we are now seeing a lot of positive investments, a lot of private equity funds are now coming to invest in maritime assets. We have seen foreign funds managers, who are coming from Europe and are also talking about funding maritime assets here. We believe the outlook would be great for this year and 2019.

    “For the past two years, the freight earnings have been down  since 2016, but we are looking at it now that the freight earnings is already going up.”

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) outgoing President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said NIMASA’s five per cent growth projection was posible because the world maritime economic situation was improving and Nnigeria would benefit from it.

    According to him, many importers are bringing cargoes to the country instead of diverting them to neigbouring countries’ports, while ship owners are planning to invest in the industry because freight rates are going up.

    “The projection made by NIMASA is one of the tools we need to grow the maritime industry. The forecast will assist in the areas of having and keeping accurate records and plan for the future.

    “ The forecast will help to know if we are able to meet our target and if there are things we must put in place like good road net work, quick evacuation of cargoes, review of government policy and tariffs at the ports, among others. We pray that this year and next year will be the leading light to the peak in freight and maritime robust earnings for the country,” Shittu said.

    An importer, Mr Felix Abraham, urged the government to pay adequate attention to the industry because of the huge potential it holds for the nation. Maritime trade, he said, is the bedrock of the global business, and its connection to import, export and the growth of the world economy.

    “ That is why the five per cent growth forecast by NIMASA is a tool we must all work with to grow the economy,” Abraham said.

     

  • ANLCA elects officers

    T he Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), has elected new officers to run its affairs.

    Mr Tony Iju Nwabunike is the new national president, defeating  Emenike Nwokeoji, who is the out-going vice president.

    Dr. Kayode Farinto, ANLCA’s national publicity secretary, defeated Prince Kayode Oyinlola  to become the new vice president.

    Others are: Alhaji Babatunde (National Secretary); Joe Sanni (National Publicity Secretary); Hajia Bola Muse (National Financial Secretary); Denis Ukwu (Assistant National Secretary) and Uche Martins (Zonal Co-ordinator Eastern Zone).

    Joshua Ahuama is the secretary of the zone. John Oforbike (Zonal Co-ordinator, Western Zone) with Bayo Oyekangun as secretary.

    The outgoing National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, commended the elected officers, saying  ANLCA was the only association in the sector with a democratic system of governance.

    Shittu urged members to continue to work as one to move the group forward.

    “We have a system in place at ANLCA that we have tried to manage, nobody is perfect, but the system corrects itself. Ten years ago our elections were never done like this, there is always a palpable fear, the Police,  OPC and  others will be full, but today we are the only democratic association in the maritime industry, not even the maritime workers’ union because they arrange it, not even the transport workers and not even NAGAFF’.

    “It is what we teach them that they must follow. We are the oldest, we set the pace and we  must be  the yardstick of reference,” Shittu said.

    Its Board of Trustees’ (BOT)  Chairman,  Mr Henry Njoku, appealed to those  elected to embrace to work together to move the association forward.

    Njoku commended Shittu and his team for their achievements, especially acquiring a national secretariat. He pledged that the BOT would work with the new leaders.

    “Prior to this time,  the news has been that ANLCA would break into two,  but today we are here to witness that ANLCA cannot be broken into two. To the new president of ANLCA and his team, we would work with him to make sure ANLCA moves forward. There is no personal interest,  the goal here is to get ANLCA move forward.

    “This is not a winner takes all, it is winner unites us all. This is what we need to move forward. Before, when we used to have elections, we were coming to a rented apartment, but today,  we have our secretariat fully furnished. We commend Mr. President and BOT members,” Njoku said.

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was represented by his Special Assistance on Special Duties, Mr. Uwakwe Azikiwe, urged ANLCA to bring forth the right candidate to ensure the growth of the maritime sector.

  • NPA trains workers to improve service delivery

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has embarked on a capacity building project aimed at developing strategies to make it relevant.

    The project is focused on efficient service delivery, preservation and digital archiving of its achievements.

    A firm, KITTR Consulting, it was gathered, has been contracted to train some NPA workers who will lead transformation.

    Its Lead Consultant, Saada Baba-Mohammed, gave kudos to the Hadiza Bala-Usman-led administration the unique opportunity to enhance the workers’ knowledge of digital preservation and archiving.

    “There is no training which is negative. The project is expected to cover a wide range of areas ranging from communication, documentation and then archiving of document.

    “I believe at the end of the exercise, what they are expected to do is to go back to their respective offices, look at where they got it wrong, and then add value to it, and see how they can move forward in terms of keeping records,”he said.

    NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Abdullahi Goje, said NPA would not only train, but build capacity to improve service delivery.

    He said NPA officials interacted with people from diverse backgrounds, hence, the need for the training to ensure that they added value to the system. He added that facilities had been put in place for the training and the NPA had moved from analogue to digital.

    A Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr. Ismail Ibraheem, said constructive engagement with key stakeholders required that NPA embraced the infrastructure and architecture necessary for preserving and archiving of important documents.

    “We live in a brutal and unforgiving world of shared experience accentuated by the pervasive presence of the media and globalisation. It is therefore, imperative to develop as an organisation in the image you want the world to see you. This is why documentation, archiving and digital preservation are imperative,” he said.

    According to Dr. Ngozi Ukachi, the training will enable the NPA to store old materials to meet the needs of information seekers, who want this to be available and accessible on the go in this digital age.

    Stressing that the world  was one huge electronic place, she urged NPA and similar organisations to follow the lead of higher institutions, which had developed repositories for storing digital archived materials.

  • Seminar on port charges holds in Lagos

    The Shipping Correspondents  Association of Nigeria (SCAN) seminar will hold in Lagos on Thursday.

    The seminar will discuss various charges at the seaports. Its theme is: “Port charges, how plausible”.

    A financial expert and research analyst, Johnson Chukwu, will be the keynote speaker.

    The seminar, according to its promoters, is borne out of a series of complaints by operators, regulators, shippers, clearing agents and others over the exorbitant charges they claimed were fuelling diversion.

    According to one of the organisers, Yusuf Babalola, the seminar will proffer solutions to a myriad of challenges facing shippers, terminal operators, clearing agents, importers, government agencies, truck drivers and other stakeholders.

    “The summit is not a buck or blame passing summit, but it will find a solution to cost of doing business that is fuelling cargo diversion,”the organisers said.

    Another member of the group, Mr Tola Adenubi, said the objective of the seminar was to make the seaports competitive and attractive for business.

    “It is observed that about 90 percent of vessels berthing at  Benin,Togo, Ghana and other neighbouring ports, have cargoes destined for Nigeria, but the inability to get our charges right has made Nigeria to lose the traffic to smaller ports in West Africa. But the seminar is to address this by making the ports the hub in West and Central Africa,” Adenubi said.

     

  • Our $5b investment under threat, say investors

    fish giants have begged the Federal Government to save their investments of over $5 billion from imminent collapse.

    They said from 40 fishing companies operating almost 250 industrial vessels 15 years ago, the industry is nothing to write home about today.

    Speaking under the aegis of the Trawler Owners Association (NITOA), they said their operations were being affected by what they called the economic harsh environment.

    NITOA National Vice President, Gen Morounfolu Aromire (rtd), said: “Despite the more than $5.2 billion investment of our members on jetty facilities, equipment and infrastructure, only about 130 vessels are in operation due to the harsh situations that the industrial fishing operators have had to contend with.

    “These have led to several companies going into limbo to the extent that only 12 companies are operating now.”

    The group said with support, it would assist “in generating the much-needed foreign exchange from the non-oil exports”.

    NITOA’s operations, Aromire added, provided employment to over 6,000 Nigerians and more than 600,000 jobs indirectly across the country before their predicament, adding that the government needs to assist them.

    The group, he said, would have improved on its shrimp production and export capabilities and increase local fish production level from 10 per cent to 35 per cent, if not for the challenges facing them.

    “Sea armed robbery and piracy have led to the killing and maiming of crew men, thus making the highly productive areas in our marine waters inaccessible.

    “While we must accept that the situation is much better than it was few years back, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Attacks were still reported some few days ago. NIMASA must synergise much more with the Nigerian Navy to ensure that our maritime environment is safe and secure.

    “While we appreciate efforts by the Federal Government at earmarking a fisheries terminal at the KLT in Lagos, the encumbrances on the way of those efforts may not allow it mature as quickly as one may wish.

    “We, therefore, want to further suggest that companies already operating from KLT 1 and 2 be allowed to continue to operate from their locations.

    “NPA may only need to charge some reasonable commercial rates, but which will not drive operators out of business,” he said.

    The Shippers Association of Lagos (SAL) has also cried out over the rising robbery on the waterways.

    The waterways, it said, had become a haven for robbery, urging the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to secure the terrain.

    SAL President Mr Jonathan Nicol said NIMASA must collaborate with the law enforcement agencies to tackle the problem. Nicol urged NIMASA to do more to secure goods and ships on waterways.

    “NIMASA should use helicopter regularly to checkmate these pirates and also seek the protection of the Navy, Customs and the police on the issue.

    “If the Federal Government fails to do this, it means we are going to lose so much revenue from the maritime sector,” Nicol said.

    A shipper, Mr Solomon Anderson has suggested radar and satellite technology as part of the measures NIMASA should look into in finding a solution to the problem.

    He called on the National Assembly to look at the Anti-Piracy Bill before it as many indigenous companies have been crippled and many children orphaned because sea pirates activities.

    Anderson also identified radar technology and effective information sharing as the solution to the incessant high-jacking and robbery of shipping trawlers and oil vessels.

    “Nigeria’s food security is being affected; our foreign exchange is being affected because these activities lead to capital flight as more foreign vessels now do most of the jobs,” he said.

    But NIMASA’s Director-General Dr Dakuku Peterside, said the agency was addressing the security challenges on the waterways.

    He added that the agency had initiated some positive measures to enhance security within and outside the nation’s territorial waters.

    Peterside said the agency was working with security agencies, such as the Air Force, Navy, Army and Police, to ensure that the waterways are safe for freighting and fishing.

    He advised trawler owners to ensure that they paid adequate attention to the remuneration of their crew because many are poorly paid; noting that poor pay usually leads them into criminal activities, such as selling their first catch at sea and subsequently drawing the attention of pirates.

     

  • ANLCA chief seeks quick cargo clearance

    The Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Onne Chapter, Chief Kingsley Offor, has solicited for support of members and other stakeholders for effective service delivery and smooth cargo clearance at ports.

    Speaking with The Nation of his re-election bid, he said ANLCA’s vision was to   enhance members’ welfare.

    Offor gave kudos to the Board of Trustees and the leadership of the association for their commitment to promoting truth and enhancing unity and justice among members.

    “I call on ANLCA faithful to remain focused and steadfast to the association’s tenets to ensure that adequate synergies and partnerships with stakeholders at the port aimed at enthroning a conducive working environment and seamless cargo clearance were upheld.

    ANLCA Onne chapter, findings revealed, has achieved tremendous impacts in promoting members’ welfare, such as provision of 36-seater coaster bus, medical care for all members and on the job training of members in line with global challenges.

    Ofor urged other members to come on board to serve ANLCA “because it’s a self-serving mission to protect the interest of all members and the growth of the association”.

    ANLCA, he said, will continue to develop and sustain a conducive  working relationship with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Standards Organisation of Nigeria  (SON), NAFDAC and other stakeholders.

    “If elected, I will retain my open and all-inclusive policy for all members irrespective of their status because ANLCA is one united and individual body,’’ he said.

    While assuring that ANLCA members would continue to work in line with global best practices, Offor urged government agencies at the port to re-strategise and fast-track compliance on cargo clearance to facilitate trade, enforce the Easy of Doing Business policy and enhance revenue generation to the Federal Government.

     

  • Bala Usman: NPA committed to improving Delta ports

    Bala Usman: NPA committed to improving Delta ports

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)  remains commit-ted to improving the patronage of Delta ports to boost public revenue, its Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman has said.

    Speaking with The Nation on the sideline of the just-concluded stakeholders’ forum organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in Warri, Delta State, Ms Usman assured shippers, exporters, stakeholders and other operators that the agency will stimulate economic activities in the area.

    She said the meeting was part of the Federal Government’s efforts through the NPA, NIMASA, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and other agencies to reposition the seaports for rapid economic activities.

    Sources at the Delta port told The Nation that NPA has repaired some of the Tug Boats and a Pilot Cutters to facilitate trade and boost efficiency at ports.

    Delta Shippers’Association (DELSA) President Dr Austin Egbegbadia said the Delta ports are strategically located to enhance the growth and development of the economy.

    Egbegbadia identified the following as the potential of the port: The distance for moving cargoes to catchment states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Edo, Kogi, Abuja, Benue, Katsina and Kano is short compared with other operational ports; it gives the shippers the benefits of choice as Delta port manages four standard location, despite the challenges; the port can generate its cargoes and has excellent delivery of cargo; its turnaround time for vessels is excellent; quick identification and documentation of cargoes and security of cargoes is guaranteed and adequate modern facilities to handle various cargoes are assured by the concessionaires.

    While allying the fear of importers and exporters, he said the group had decided to promote the ports to boost merchant shipping and add significant value to the economy of the region as far as non-oil exports are concerned.

    “Some of the challenges we are facing is the erroneous perception that the Delta ports are unsafe to both local and international investors. This hype is largely fermented by mischievous elements whose sole purpose is to draw some sort of gain by such derogatory news,’ he said.

    Egbegbadia called for the dredging of the Escravos Bar that leads into the Warri ports, saying this would lead to job creation and wealth creation.

    Meanwhile, the government is set to automate ports operations across the country, NIMASA Director-General, Dr Dakuku Peterside has said .

    Speaking at the stakeholders’ meeting, Peterside said this would assist the government to reduce human contact and corruption, and promote transparency in the industry.

    The theme of the event was: “Implementation of Executive Order One (1) – Ease of Doing Business in a secure maritime environment”.

    In a communiqué at the end of the meeting, the stakeholders agreed on the following: The Ministry of Transportation and its agencies should explore alternate financing windows, such as the establishment of Maritime Bank to address the financing gap created by the unsuitability of lending rates of banks for the shipping business; revive NIMAREX as a platform for bridging the gap between the shipping industry and prospective international investors to provide impetus for growth and investment.

    Others are that government agencies should address the challenge of under-declaration of cargo at ports to plug revenue leakage. It should seek the dredging of the Escravos Bar to facilitate the access of large dry cargo vessels into Warri ports, they added.

    The stakeholders said the government should collaborate with the maritime communities to rely on their  knowledge and intelligence for fighting maritime crimes, such as piracy, sea robbery and vessel hijack.

    For manpower development and capacity building, the stakehol-ders said the government should consider a return to the former system, where the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) contributed to the training of Master Mariners who are 180 with over 75 per cent above the retirement age.

    They also said the government should establish transit parks for trucks waiting to access the ports and implement an automated call-up system that prevents their proliferation around the ports to resolve the gridlock in Apapa.

     

  • Our $5b investment under threat, say investors

    fish giants have begged the Federal Government to save their investments of over $5 billion from imminent collapse.

    They said from 40 fishing companies operating almost 250 industrial vessels 15 years ago, the industry is nothing to write home about today.

    Speaking under the aegis of the Trawler Owners Association (NITOA), they said their operations were being affected by what they called the economic harsh environment.

    NITOA National Vice President, Gen Morounfolu Aromire (rtd), said: “Despite the more than $5.2 billion investment of our members on jetty facilities, equipment and infrastructure, only about 130 vessels are in operation due to the harsh situations that the industrial fishing operators have had to contend with.

    “These have led to several companies going into limbo to the extent that only 12 companies are operating now.”

    The group said with support, it would assist “in generating the much-needed foreign exchange from the non-oil exports”.

    NITOA’s operations, Aromire added, provided employment to over 6,000 Nigerians and more than 600,000 jobs indirectly across the country before their predicament, adding that the government needs to assist them.

    The group, he said, would have improved on its shrimp production and export capabilities and increase local fish production level from 10 per cent to 35 per cent, if not for the challenges facing them.

    “Sea armed robbery and piracy have led to the killing and maiming of crew men, thus making the highly productive areas in our marine waters inaccessible.

    “While we must accept that the situation is much better than it was few years back, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Attacks were still reported some few days ago. NIMASA must synergise much more with the Nigerian Navy to ensure that our maritime environment is safe and secure.

    “While we appreciate efforts by the Federal Government at earmarking a fisheries terminal at the KLT in Lagos, the encumbrances on the way of those efforts may not allow it mature as quickly as one may wish.

    “We, therefore, want to further suggest that companies already operating from KLT 1 and 2 be allowed to continue to operate from their locations.

    “NPA may only need to charge some reasonable commercial rates, but which will not drive operators out of business,” he said.

    The Shippers Association of Lagos (SAL) has also cried out over the rising robbery on the waterways.

    The waterways, it said, had become a haven for robbery, urging the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to secure the terrain.

    SAL President Mr Jonathan Nicol said NIMASA must collaborate with the law enforcement agencies to tackle the problem. Nicol urged NIMASA to do more to secure goods and ships on waterways.

    “NIMASA should use helicopter regularly to checkmate these pirates and also seek the protection of the Navy, Customs and the police on the issue.

    “If the Federal Government fails to do this, it means we are going to lose so much revenue from the maritime sector,” Nicol said.

    A shipper, Mr Solomon Anderson has suggested radar and satellite technology as part of the measures NIMASA should look into in finding a solution to the problem.

    He called on the National Assembly to look at the Anti-Piracy Bill before it as many indigenous companies have been crippled and many children orphaned because sea pirates activities.

    Anderson also identified radar technology and effective information sharing as the solution to the incessant high-jacking and robbery of shipping trawlers and oil vessels.

    “Nigeria’s food security is being affected; our foreign exchange is being affected because these activities lead to capital flight as more foreign vessels now do most of the jobs,” he said.

    But NIMASA’s Director-General Dr Dakuku Peterside, said the agency was addressing the security challenges on the waterways.

    He added that the agency had initiated some positive measures to enhance security within and outside the nation’s territorial waters.

    Peterside said the agency was working with security agencies, such as the Air Force, Navy, Army and Police, to ensure that the waterways are safe for freighting and fishing.

    He advised trawler owners to ensure that they paid adequate attention to the remuneration of their crew because many are poorly paid; noting that poor pay usually leads them into criminal activities, such as selling their first catch at sea and subsequently drawing the attention of pirates.

     

  • Establish more dry docks, govt advised

    The Federal Government has been urged to establish more dry docks to create jobs and boost shipping as the ports.

    Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (PCC) Chairman, Chief Kunle Folarin, made the call in Lagos.

    He said dry docks were necessary to improve on ship maintenance and seaworthiness, considering the number of vessels received at the ports.

    He said more cargoes would be attracted to the ports and trade within the sub-region would be improved if more dry docks were established.

    Folarin said the floating docks and the dry docks should be completed with the materials for seaworthiness of vessels.

    “A ship cannot sail without being seaworthy and it is supposed to be dry-docked within a time-frame. Then, you need dry docks to perform such compliance requirements.

    “We probably have one (dry dock) and we are talking of ports attracting over 5,400 vessels,” he said.

    Folarin said the ship owners could use the dry docks for compliance with sea-worthiness certification; for repairs, and for trans-shipment of cargo to other areas within West and Central African regions.

    Folarin suggested that the marine environment should be well-utilised through infrastructure development for optimal gain.

    “In the context of Nigeria, we know that we have massive maritime potential.

    “Nigeria has all the potential to become a key player. If we have fully utilised the opportunities provided by our maritime domain; we would have seeing ship-building yards in Nigeria.

    “Certainly, our ports would have been the preferred port and hub for trans-shipment. We would have established competitive port costs that would attract more traffic to the ports,’’ he said.

    He suggested that a manpower-building programme should be set  up by the government and its agencies.

    He said more gains would come from developing skill-acquisition in terms of nautical science, survey, foundry, ship-building skills as complementary to other manpower development programmes.

     

  • NPA’s trade facilitation excites operators, stakeholders, importers

    The Nigerian Ports Authority  (NPA) has embarked on trade facilitation programmes to boost trade at the ports, and the importers and clearing agents are happy for it, The Nation has learnt.

    Its Managing Director (MD) Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, it was gathered, has directed the agency’s officials to attend to every document on their table within 24 hours or be sanctioned.

    Some senior officers of the authority, it was gathered, had been queried for delaying customers’ papers.

    Sources at NPA said she had instructed every staff member to adopt the trade facilitation programme of the Federal Government by fast-tracking cargo clearance papers and implementing  government policies on quick cargo clearance to  to generate more revenue and boost the  economy.

    No paper, it was learnt, stays on her table for more than 24 hours without receiving attention.

    Sources said she had to go to some departments last week to ensure that customers’ papers were not delayed.

    This new approach, it was learnt, was responsible for the success the authority recorded at the ports and  in terms of the modernisation and transformation of NPA’s operations, a development, which importers and other operators said, contributed to the quick clearance of cargoes from the  ports

    The MD, stakeholders said, had no option than to embark on trade facilitation because she had received the support of President Muhammadu Buhari to re-organise and manage one of the highest revenue-yielding government agencies.

    Her zeal and patriotism for the development of  the economy, findings revealed, was responsible for why she was appointed to carry out the onerous task which, stakehold-ers said, she had  done diligently.

    TheAssociation of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said Ms Usman does not joke with trade facilitation.

    “No paper stays on Ms Usman’s table for more than 12 hours before she releases them for quick cargo clearance.This is also because she has made the principle her watch word since her assumption of office as the Managing Director and in all the ports.

    “She believes that when any document experiences delay, the implications can be more. Thus, as far as she is concerned, prompt treatment of documents is a must in port operations.

    ‘’According to her, the documents represent money and the government needs the money to develop tpeople,“ he said.

    Shittu also described Ms Usman as a humble and listening leader who attend to every issue brought to her attention to attract business to the port.

    Besides, a senior officer of the authority, Mr Ibrahim Nosiru and others who do not want their names in print, said Ms Usman had inculcated her trade facilitation message in her officers and taught them why they must not delay documents.

    “The Managing Director has tutored us that when you delay import documents, you increase the cost of clearing such goods, because you make the importers to accumulate demurrage and you delay the purpose for which such goods would have been put to used for the proper development of  the economy, ” he said.