The stakeholders from Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the Alumni of Maritime Academy of Nigeria Oron(AMANO), in a conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital recently brainstormed on the issue.
It was the 3rd National conference of AMANO with the them, “Leveraging Technology for Greener Shipping.”
Commenting on the theme, the President of the group Emmanuel Maiguwa noted that the topic was apt as it offers the members to have first hand information on the opportunities available for them for Greener Shipping.
“The theme of our conference, Leveraging Technology for Greener Shipping, allows us to discuss technologies we can leverage to achieve Greener shipping in our coastal and international space both on a short and long term goal.
“I am particularly excited that AMANO is creating a platform needed for Nigeria to discuss shipping technology transition in line with the world Maritime and the United Nation’s agenda for Greener shipping sustainable development goal.” he said.
In his keynote Lecture, the Secretary-General, Federal Operation Unit(FOU), Abuja, Captain Sunday Umoren noted that the conference basically was meant to give insight to the available ways to decarbonize marine transportation to ensure safe and cleaner environment for the present and the future, to develop and expand the business into international best practice.
Umoren hinted that countries of the world are restrategizing to make the best out of green shipping, and South Africa is already beginning to make money from the production of green hydrogen.
According to him, “Green shipping has to do environmental management practices with emphasis on waste generation reduction during operations, resource conservation in handling and dispatching cargoes and reduction of negative impacts on the environment and the human/aquatic lifeponds.
“The whole essence of the conference lecture topic according to Captain Umoren was to reflect on the need to supporting green transition in the maritime industry into a sustainable future, while leaving no one behind, as it attracts dire consequences not to move with the rest of the world.”
Furthermore he said, “marine transportation remains one of the most carbon efficient means of transportation for international trade. Currently the shopping sector accounts for 2 to 3 per cent of global carbon emissions and shipping industries are seriously working to reduce its outputs.” he said.
He noted that partnership is a major key to achieving the dream, adding that identifying stakeholders in the business is as good as achieving the goals.
He listed the stakeholders to include, governments, government agencies, MBAs, government directorates, ministries directorates and the agencies, shipping companies as well as all the actors highlighted in the maritime actors, Ports Authority, individuals, among others.
In his goodwill message, Director of Transformation, Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Nuhu J. Bala, harped on the need for cleaner environment.
Bala noted that the flood presently ravaging the world, including parts of Nigeria is resultant effect of climate change, largely attributed to human activities.
Bala said “We are all aware of what is happening to us recently with the issue of flood and of course we know that flood is nothing but the consequences of climate change. Climate change comes in different ways one of which AMANO is trying to address today “Leveraging Technology for Greener Shipping.
“It is so because we all know that for years the Maritime industry globally has so much relied on the use fossil energy in order to power machines in our vessels and those machines and vessels continues to emit carbon dioxide that diplict the ozone layer and as this happens, the consequences is what we are seeing today.” he noted.
In an interview with newsmen, an Assistant Director with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Kini Edubio, noted that shipping carbon emission contributed to the flood that is ravaging parts of the country currently.
“…if the issue of emission had been tackled, the flood being experienced, would not have got to this damaging level in the country.
” You can imagine the billions, properties and lives that have been lost. But for this climate change and how it has adversary affected Nigeria, we would not have lost that much.
“If you begin to curb the excesses of these emissions, though it takes alot of money to convert to ships that are low sulphur not to talk of the one of reduction, we will have a better environment. So, there is alot of capital to be invested into it for you to achieve the result but there is need to do that which we must do.”he said.
Edubio who represented the Director General of NIMASA, Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, explained how the agency in collaboration with other stakeholders are working hard to reduce emission in ships.
“The regulatory bodies such like NIMASA, we have been able to put in place processes to reduce the amount of emission by ships in Nigeria.”
He assured that decisions, ideas reached at the conference would be reviewed by NIMASA for implementation.