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Tag: Maritime

  • ‘Maritime can replace oil in revenue generation’

    ‘Maritime can replace oil in revenue generation’

    Until the concession of the ports about 10 years ago, dockworkers’ restiveness was common. But all that has changed, giving way to a regime of productive engagement. Given the drop in spot market oil prices, the maritime segment can replace oil as an alternate revenue source, says Princess Vicky Haastrup, the Executive Vice-Chairman, ENL Consortium Limited and Chairman Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria in this interview with Group Business Editor SIMEON EBULU.

    It’s been 10 years since the port was concessioned.  How has it been?

    The experience in industry has been a good one, but of course it has lots of challenges. As you know, the ports in Nigeria have evolved a lot, pre-concession and post concession period. The industry was completely run down before we took over. We had lots of problems associated with operation; we had issues of labour, considering that globally, issues of dock workers are a serious issue. Even when NPA was in charge, it was practically tough to deal with dock workers.

    We took over when the sector was so volatile and you can imagine what it was to take over at that time. The enabling environment was not there, no equipment to work with, the roads were bad, and the environment was polluted. No development at the terminal and it was full of challenges we had to contend with. But we quickly realized that was why the government trusted us with their assets. What we are managing is the asset of government. Nigerian ports and terminals do not belong to us. It was leased out to us. It was concession. They know we can do this job.

    We know the responsibility placed on us is enormous: talking to labour, creating an enabling environment. Of course, Government also created an enabling environment for us. I can tell you we also created an enabling environment for ourselves.  The concession agreement is a tripartite agreement. We know the greatest responsility lies with the concessioners. We took up the challenge and its been ten years.

    There’s this notion that the maritime sector is largely in the hands of foreigners. How true is it?

    I think we need to take statistics to know who and who is running what. If you look at the Port terminal in Lagos, you will know. In Apapa, we have Dangote, we have ENL, a Nigerian company, the directors are Nigerians.  We have AP Molar that is a foreign company. We have Flour Mills. I look at Flour Mills as a Nigeria company because Nigerian shareholding in Flour Mill is huge. So, I see them as a Nigeria entity. I am not speaking for them, but it’s the truth. We also have Eko Support Services (ESS), that is a Nigerian.

    In Apapa, we have Ports & Cargo, a Nigerian firm. We have Five Star Logistics. We have TITC (Foreign); Joseph Damp, Nigeria. The Maggi, foreign. When you look at it, there is balancing here. This not the first time I am hearing that Nigerian ports’ in the hands of foreigners. If you go to Port Harcout, we have BUA and the likes that are Nigerian. If you look at that Nigerians are more than foreigners.

    As you’ve stated, there were challenges before you came and up till now the challenges are still there. What are you doing to tackle them?

    The major challenge was the dockworkers and the maritime union. They are key to  successful operations. In terminal operation, without dockworkers goods cannot be discharged from the vessels. So, we realised that a good relationship with both was key to successful operations. That’s why we created an enabling environment by engaging the leadership of the union and forming a partnership.

    When we came there was mistrust. The dockworkers felt we came to take their jobs. They thought we came to erode their sources of income.  This was  because there were lots of malpractices in the port sector. We had lots of officers that were attached to berths and even terminals. Every berth had an officer. You have president attached to the berth.  So, if they are not happy with anything, they can just stop the ship and say no more work.

    Those were the things on ground when government was running the show. But when we came in, we engaged the dockworkers.  So, they found that their lot is better with us than with government; their income is better. But it was a gradual process that resulted in building trust. Now, nobody stops the ship from working. With discussion we were able to overcome the challenges.

    It was alleged at a time that Nigerian ports are not competitive, vis a vis the neighbouring ones on the West Coast. Is Nigeria still losing businesses to them?

    I want to correct an impression – the high cost of operation in Nigerian ports is not caused by terminal operators. There are other charges that are being imposed on importers of goods, other than the charges of terminal operators. As far as I am concerned, those constitutes like 85 per cent. Terminal operators have their own charges which I call legitimate charges. We have invested, we have to discharge the ship, and we need to buy equipment to discharge the ship, we need to develop the port, we have welfare packages for the Dockworkers and other staff. We have to take care of the environment, we have security to handle, we have to keep the goods. We have lot of responsibilities.

    When you look at our own charges, we have other people in the port that impose charges. We have the shipping companies, the clearing agents, government agencies, logistics and transport, you have the Custom, NPA, SON fees, NAFDAC, and we have  lots more.

    Can they be eliminated?

    I believe some of them should be eliminated. We should run Nigerian ports the way other ports of the world are run. I don’t know what some of these government agencies are doing at the port. We need three or four basic government agencies. We need the Customs service, Immigration service, Port berth. I don’t think we need NDLEA because the scanner is there to scan the goods. So, why do we need NDLEA. So, why is Nigerian situation different from other ports of the world? These all add -up to the total cost.

    As chairman, what are you doing to stop this?

    We have engaged government over this at some point. I remember the former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had a meeting with the stakeholder’s based on the point that we emphasized and most importantly, on the multiplicity of government’s agencies in the port. We expressed our reservations to her. There and thene, a lot of the agencies were asked to leave the port.

    Is it true that some concessioners enjoy waivers or protection from the government thereby creating uneven competition?

    I don’t know of any concessioneer enjoying a special privilege. What privilege? Is it privilege that they don’t pay their lease fee, royalty to government! Everybody fulfills its obligations. This is the first time I am hearing this. The credit jetty owners do not belong to STOAN.  STOAN members are purely people involved in concession.

    What about the oil and gas cargo owners?

    I don’t know the meaning of oil and gas. When you talk of port operation terminology, you have only two types of cargoes – you have containerised cargo and general cargo, there was nothing like oil and gas cargo. General cargo is general cargo. I don’t know when the term oil and gas was coined out of general cargo.

    What is general cargo? It is any cargo that is not containerised.  It is called general cargo. It is a generic name. If it is not containerised, it is cargo. Under general cargo you have steel, you have all manner of cargo, you have even food items like rice, fish, chemicals, steel or just anything you call it. As long as it is not containerised, it is general. So, how oil and gas came into being, I do not know.

    I believe that there should not be any special concession given to anybody. There should not be monopoly. The country will suffer as a result of monopoly. The concessioner that is into general cargo has the same kind of concession- a contract. It is unfortunate when a cargo like pipe that they even use for construction for water is categorised as oil and gas.  There is a lot of ambiguity in its interpretation.

    At the end of the day,  government  has these terminals and you have given concession to people and you have what they call GMT- Guarantee Minimum Tonnage that they must achieve in a year. You have a minimum number of volumes of cargo that you must handle. They call it GMT. You tell me, ENL you must give me six million tonnes cargoes and you now tie my hand. How do you want me to achieve the GMT?

    And if I can’t achieve that because whatever I do, you still get a percentage of my income as your royalty. And If I don’t achieve that, you calculate a percentage of income loss that is paid to you. So, monopoly is bad. The shipping companies should have freedom to get products to any port of their choice. The government should get its hands off oil and gas. There should not be monopoly.

    People say the maritime sector can be an alternative source of revenue to the government if well harnessed. How true is this?

    I have said that over and over. And I told the immediate past President when he invited some stakeholders to a maritime retreat at the Villa a couple of years ago. I was one of the speakers. I said Mr. President I need to tell you the truth. I said the sector that has the potential to be an alternate to oil is the maritime and by extension, the port industry. He got the message and that struck him.

    Maritime is a huge revenue generator. NIMASA, Customs and NPA can testify to this. Now that the price of oil is at rock bottom level, it can replace oil as a source of revenue for the government and can create jobs We have thousands of clearing agents, we have shipping companies, etc; that’s job creation. This is a very wide and huge sector. It is a good alternative to oil if the right attitude is applied, if the right polices are put in place.

    How supportive are government’s policies?

    The policy of forex is commendable. If you look at the port terminal like ours, if you look at the number of ships we’ve handled from January to date, is actually a number of volume in a month. The reason is because the importers do not have access to forex in Nigeria. That inhibited them and for everyone, it was a major constraint. So, volume of importing dropped drastically. I have never seen that in my life.

    But the CBN formulated a new forex policy which I think is good. It is becoming flexible. Naira will find its true value and it’s good for business owners. The system we had before would not allow anybody to plan because the forex can change three times in a day. But further than that, government should please look at the whole 42 items that are banned. They said those products are not valid for forex. So, what people do is to go to the parallel market to source for it. That is not good for the business. It is not even good for local manufacturers.

    But the policy is for  products  that can be locally produced.

    But the question is, the locally produced goods, what’s the cost. Look at the automobile policy. If you look at the cost of those cars, they are very expensive. Those cars are sold for millions. What is the landing cost of these cars! For Nigeria to become an industrialised nation, the key word is power, infrastructure. Where are these? As far as there is no infrastructure in place to support manufacturers, they will be more expensive than the imported ones. And it will constitute pains for Nigerians. The conclusion is that those cars will still come to Nigeria through smuggling.

    How much policing can track that, considering the hundreds of illegal entries, risking the lives of our Customs?

    How has diversification contributed to exports?

    There are lots of exports going on in Nigerian ports. It’s just that most of the exports are going through containerised export and majorly are farm produce, like cashew, etc. We have a lot of export activities, such as commodities going to other countries. Let the focus of the government continue in the areas of encouraging local farmers. Nigeria used to be a major exporter of cocoa, palm oil etc. We need to go back to that. We have fertile ground here. Kenya exports cabbage to UK. Government should support local farmers to ensure that those farm produce are kept fresh to their destination.

    What is the state of infrastructure at the port?

    The infrastructure at the port is good. In those days the port holes at our terminal could swallow a truck, but we have addressed that. It was part of our developmental responsibility. It is contained in our agreement with them. But the access road to the port terminal is the responsibility of the government.

    There should be a plan  to divert roads to the ports away from the cities so that trucks do not pass through the cities to ease logistics. What is your take on this?

    Unfortunately, when the ports in Nigeria were developed, I do not think government envisaged this kind of explosion, like population. If you look at the port, the way it is situated, the ports in Nigeria are close to the cities unlike most ports across the world. If you look at other ports in the world, they are usually located away from the cities. Apapa is a city, but the port is situated in the middle of Apapa.  This same Apapa is also housing many tank farms. There are about 50 tank farms within Apapa and Tin can Island area. This is very dangerous. I haven’t seen that in any other place. But its rather too late.

    I used to suggest and pray there is no explosion, because if anyone explodes, it will affect the whole of Apapa. There wasn’t proper planning on the way the port was positioned.

    Back to your other question about creating a dedicated place for vehicles coming to load, both for inbound and outbound in the port, that would have been the best. China has one of the best port terminals in the world. I went to China, there is one container terminal, it is outside China. There’s this long bridge longer than our Third mainland bridge. It only leads to the port.  But I don’t think it is too late in Nigeria.

    Look at what Lagos is doing. I didn’t know that metroline could be possible. And its really working. If we are really serious, we can do it because the port will still explode further because our population will continue to grow. Government needs to create capacity whereby Nigerian port will be hotspots for all ports in West Africa.

    What does it take to be the Chairman of STOAN?

    To be the chairman of Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN) is having the ability to lead. This is because STOAN members are trustees and captains of the port industry. We have some of us that are even referred to as captains of industry. We have the foreign terminal operators and managing directors who have served in various capacities at the global level before being deplored to Nigerian ports. I will call them timbers and calibers of the port industry. So it takes leadership ability and integrity to get along with all of them. It takes one whose opinion can be respected by other members and someone who has a sense of responsibility.

     

     

  • Maritime policy: Buhari leads security team to Malabo

    To achieve greater security of lives, resources and investments in all parts of Nigeria and its sub-region, President Muhammadu Buhari will travel to Malabo today for talks with President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea.

    The talks will centre on measures to protect the people and resources of the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea.

    The conclusion and signing of an agreement by Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea for the establishment of a combined maritime policing and security patrol committee on Tuesday is expected to be the major outcome of President Buhari’s talks with his host.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that President Buhari and President Mbasogo are also expected to discuss and agree on other collaborative measures to combat crimes such as piracy, crude oil theft, attacks on oil rigs, arms smuggling and human  trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea.

    Both leaders will also confer on the rescheduling of the joint summit of the Economic Community of West African States and the Economic Community of Central African States on additional cooperative measures to curb terrorism and violent extremism in West and Central Africa.

    The summit was to have been hosted by Equatorial Guinea last year but was postponed because of Nigeria’s general elections.

    Buhari will be accompanied by Minister of Defence Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd.),  National Security Adviser Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.) and other senior security officials.

    He is scheduled to return to Abuja on Tuesday.

  • Foreign justices for annual judges’ maritime seminar

    Foreign justices for annual judges’ maritime seminar

    The chief justices of Sierra Leone and The Gambia are expected at this year’s International Maritime Seminar for judges in Abuja later this year.

    The seminar, expected to examine new trends in maritime law, will be chaired by Nigeria’s Chief Justice (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed.

    Chief Judge of the Federal High Court Justice Ibrahim Auta spoke yesterday when he led the Committee on Maritime Seminar for Judges (CMSJ) on a visit to the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Roseline Bozimo.

    Justice Auta said his committee was at the NJI to inspect facilities ahead of the 14th edition of the seminar.

    He said the seminar would ensure that judicial officers dispensing justice on admiralty matters keep abreast of developments in maritime law.

    This year’s edition, Auta said, would examine maritime law and administrative jurisdiction, legal responsibilities and electronic evidence in admiralty practice. Also, “cyber terrorism: a threat to the maritime industry and role of Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) in the industry.”

    Auta said the seminar would benefit new judges of the Federal High Court, as the court of first instance in admiralty cases, and judges/Justices of the superior courts.

    NSC’s Executive Secretary Alhaji Hassan Bello said “there is need to refresh their memories on maritime law.

    “There is need to diversify. And in doing that, we need lucid pronouncements to attract investment. Our judges need to be aware of admiralty law because it is not taught in the university,” Bello said.

    The seminar is a collaboration between NSC, NJI and representatives of the Nigeria Maritime Law Association (NMLA).

  • Maritime contractors risk arrest for abandoning jobs, say Reps

    The House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety, Education and Administration has threatened to arrest some contractors working on some projects in the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, for abandoning their jobs.

    Committee Chairman Mr. Mohammed Bago, who led others on an inspection tour of the academy, decried the state of infrastructure in the institution.

    Bago, who condemned their attitude, said the management of the institution should stop awarding new contracts but complete pending projects.

    He also said his committee would not tolerate fragmentation of contracts while advising the management to see the committee as partners in progress.

    “Let us apply conscience to what we are doing. We are all Nigerians. I am touched by the level of uncompleted projects here. There is no road network here. Some buildings have been completed while some are still at the foundation level. We cannot continue to sink billions of naira here and everything is half done.

    “We are not going to tolerate corruption. This committee will meet with the contractors. We can bring the contractors to book. Nobody is above the law. We will summon them, if they fail to come, we will declare them wanted. We need to change in this academy. Contractors need to be cautioned. We will not allow a situation where contractors will receive money and just abscond.

    “On the official aspect of our oversight, you have been found wanting, not necessarily directly but indirectly. You are thinking of transforming to a university and you are given huge land and you went to sink a lot of money. We have seen where you have sunk this money. But do we have value for the money? No, we don’t.

    “Coming to the main bowl of the institution, we saw a lot of old and abandoned projects. My heart bleeds. Seriously, it bleeds. It is our mission as a committee that by the grace of

  • Maritime to contribute 25 per cent of budget, says Amaechi

    Maritime to contribute 25 per cent of budget, says Amaechi

    • Sets N500b revenue for agencies

    The Federal Government  has said it expects the maritime sector to contribute at least one quarter, or 25 per cent of the total  funding of the national budget next year.

    The Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi who spoke yesterday in Lagos, said  the government has set N500billion revenue target for agencies in the maritime sector to be able to achieve this target.

    The minister said he would seek the permission of the President to send away any chief executive officer that failed to meet his agency’s mark.

    Amaechi made this known in his keynote address at the Maritime Summit 2016 jointly organised by the Nigerian Shippers Council and Tell Communications Limited at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island in Lagos .

    Speaking during an interactive meeting organised by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), he said almost 10 years  after the NPA surrendered its cargo handling functions to private terminal operators,  ”the ports are not looking good.”

    He said the Federal Government will always respect the provisions of the concession agreement it entered into with the concessioniares, stating that it would carry out competence and performance audit on each of the terminals to see where they have erred in law and apply sanctions where applicable.

    Amaechi said the government of President Muhammadu Buhari  has also concluded arrangement to conduct performance audit of all the agencies in the maritime sector  to determine how much funds they are generating and contributing to the budget.

    An audit firm, Amaechi said, has been contracted to carry out the exercise.

    The Federal Government, he said, is determined to move the maritime sector forward and make the nation’s sea ports the hub in the sub-region.

    The maritime  sector, Amaechi said, generates a lot of money every year, without a corresponding contribution to the budget, stressing that it required improvement on the nation’s sea ports.

    Other critical stakeholders who spoke at the forum said some of the terminal operators have not added the expected value to their services and terminals since the ports were handed over to them.

    Deliberate violation of the concession agreement by the terminal operators, huge demurrage charges, extortion by security agencies, lack of synergy between various government agencies  at the ports and other sundry challenges were identified as factors that are not making the  uncompetitive and unattractive for business.

    The uncompetitiveness of the ports, the stakeholders said, has made it difficult for the ports to attain world-class status.

    The ports, according to them, are still burdened with bureaucratic glitches, periodic technical blackouts and duplication of processes by a plethora of government agencies at the port

    The minister assured the stakeholders that the problems would be addressed by the government through the review of the concession agreement.

    A committee, he said, has been set up to reassess the gains of ports reform and make recommendations for refocusing and fast-tracking it in line with the Change Agenda of President Buhari’s administration.

  • Maritime embraces branding

    Maritime embraces branding

    Rebranding and brand identity are strange to businesses in the maritime, haulage, oil and gas sectors but the recent adoption of these communication strategies by SIFAX Group underscores the importance of branding in every sector, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    Some businesses in certain sectors hardly see branding, brand identity management as necessary tools in brand building. Perhaps, because their businesses are more of  Business-to-Business (B2C) than mass market. Most of the businesses in these sectors often believe creating a logo, selecting colours to enhance corporate identity do not require much labour, or serious creative process.

    Sectors, such as maritime, oil and gas, law, haulage and logistics, have never been known as adopters of these efforts. Findings show that their emphasis is more on the services they render than the corporate identity, or brand architecture of their corporate look. It is often seen as an exclusive job of Telcos, banks, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs}, etcetera.

    However, these notions are changing as the wind of branding is now blowing across some of these unconcerned sectors, such as maritime and law, among others. Few months ago, Olisa Agbakoba and Associates, held a briefing where it showcased its refreshed brand identity and change of name from Olisa Agbakoba & Associates to Olisa Agbakoba Legal (OAL).

    It was a move that surprised many players in the country’s marketing industry. In the first place, law firms are not known to apply conventional marketing strategies in pushing their business. Conservative in business, law firms are not known to advertise. They are not allowed to by convention and by law. They are not known to care so much about their look and feel and as such, would not create logos and other brand collaterals designed to stand them out in a crowd.

    But Agbaokoba thinks law practice has gone beyond wearing wigs and gowns and standing in courts to help individuals and institutions get justice. They seem to be borrowing a leaf from players in commoditised markets who changed business strategies to the provision of “solutions” in order to make their brands stand out.

    However, with growing competition across all sectors of the economy, aspiration for global market penetration, the rising consciousness of brand building, repositioning is fast catching up with most business concerns in the maritime too. Like AOL, SIFAX Group, one of the fastest growing multinational corporations with diverse interests in maritime, aviation, haulage and logistics, oil and gas and hospitality, has discovered the power of branding in repositioning the brand for its next growth phase.

    The company said the strategy behind the new identity, which was unveiled to the media in Lagos, is meant to create a strong corporate brand identity and reorientation for the SIFAX Group. The Group’s Executive Vice Chairman, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, said the brand was transiting to a global market and needed a strong brand identity to compete at that level.

    ”The consensus about our performance and impact on the Nigerian business environment is that we have done very well. With interests across maritime, aviation, haulage and logistics, oil and gas, hospitality, among others, SIFAX Group has carved a unique niche for itself. With various diverse opportunities emerging globally, we felt the need to launch a new identity that signifies our global business intentions and ambitions.

    “This identity, among other reasons, would bring uniformity to our image as a company across all our subsidiaries, improve our service delivery and establish our brand as a force to reckon with in all our areas and countries of operations.”

    The Executive Director, Dr. Phil Ofulue, noted that rebranding is the end-product of the business re-engineering of the company, which was designed to reposition its business practises, processes and procedures for the ultimate satisfaction of the customers.

    While providing insights into the new corporate logo, the Corporate Affairs Manager, SIFAX Group, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akande, said the choice of the bold fonts and colours (orange and grey) conveys the message of a brand that is bold, solid, strong, friendly and determined to meet and exceed customer’s expectations.

    He said: “All the logos (corporate and sub-brands) have been carefully designed to signify our ambitions and the future business plans. The orange colour signifies warmth and friendliness while the grey colour communicates calmness – a brand that is not under pressure. We have implicit belief in our competence, ability and commitment to deliver on our brand promise.

    “The colour scheme of our subsidiary brand logos also communicates their individual brand promise as well. These include trust, authority, professionalism, dependability, determination and organisation, among others. It’s also worthy of mentioning that at the heart of our rebranding strategy is the drive to satisfy the customer.’’

  • Badagry Ship Repair and Maritime Engineering Company (BSMEC), Cameron Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

    Is Nigeria a fool’s paradise?

    Nigeria has been fighting Boko Haram insurgents for nine or ten years now, arresting and detaining its members in prison. One would have thought that the arrested members would have revealed the sponsors of these devilish and heartless killers, but, alas, that is not to be.

    Why have we as a nation decided to keep a company with sparrow while planting millet? That is the reason why Boko Haram members keep on increasing by the day because if one hundred members fall in the battle front, the sponsors are there to recruit one thousand to replace them.

    That is why the battle seemed to be an unending one. Since the killing of Mohammed Yusuf by the police after he was arrested, the police authority have refused to ask what led to his death.

    Everything about Boko Haram was supposed to die down after the killing of Yusuf, but what happened?

    The former government was not serious about fighting Boko Haram and crushing them; the then government thought that the problem would die a natural death. But now that we have a serious minded person as President Muhammadu Buhari, the fight should be in two ways if he wants to succeed.  We should engage the insurgents physically in combat and also set up secret investigative panel to find out who are the sponsors.  If the government is able to bring out the sponsors, the problem concerning insurgency will be half solved.

    I will not want to compare the case of Boko Haram arrests with NDLEA that always arrests drug carriers while closing its eyes to the barons. That is why trafficking in drugs can never stop in Nigeria.

    Rounding up their sponsors will be the last joker from President Buhari to salvage Nigeria from this killer disease called Boko Haram. No serious nation will be dancing around a very serious issue as fishing out the identities of Boko Haram sponsors to stop daily harvest of deaths. The sponsors are mostly citizens of Nigeria, although they may be getting support from outside. The president should start his investigation from the killers of Mallam Yusuf.

     

    • By Israel Oyegbile

     Sabo Tasha, Kaduna.

     

  • Maritime workers suspend strike

    The Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) at the week-end said that it had suspended its three-day-old strike which has paralysed activities at the nation’s sea ports.

    The suspension was announced in a communiqué jointly issued in Lagos and jointly signed by the leaders of the  union and the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

    NPA’s Executive Director, Finance  Mr Olumide Oduntan and the President-General of the MWUN, Mr Anthony Nted signed the communique.

    The duo said the agreement was reached after a meeting between the representatives of NPA and MWUN at the week-end on Victoria Island, Lagos.

    According to the communiqué, all outstanding payments to tally clerks and on board security men are top priorities that will be paid by the NPA as soon as the Treasury Single Account (TSA) issues have been resolved.

    “All statutory payments to NPA and charges due to stevedoring contractors on MV Hawk that berthed midstream at Bonny must be paid before the vessel is allowed to sail.”

    The union, which embarked a nationwide strike on last Thursday, said it was protesting the non-payment of tally clerks and on board security men in the last nine months.

    Stevedoring and cargo handling operations were paralysed at the ports as a result of the strike.

  • Youths seek upgrade of Maritime Academy

    Youths seek upgrade of Maritime Academy

    The youths of Akwa-Ibom State under the auspices of Akwa-Ibom Youth Council and Essu Nlap Oro Development Organisation (Supreme Council of Oron Youths) have urged the Federal Government to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, to a degree-awarding institution.

    The groups also urged President Muhummadu Buhari to boost the institution’s mandate to train more seafarers and secure the nation’s waterways, by supporting the present Rector, Dr. Joshua Enun Okpo to take the academy to a greater height.

    Speaking against converting the institution to a conventional degree-awarding institution, the groups said while a degree-awarding institution would develop technical manpower for the nation’s maritime sector, a university may cause the nation to lose its membership of the World Maritime Association.

    At a press conference held in Lagos, leaders of the groups, Mr. Gabriel Thompson and Ulap Chris Ebiefe-Ante, jointly recalled that the Academy, which was established in 1979, was solely to train middle level manpower and seafarers for the maritime sector.

    “In order to strengthen this mandate, the Oron people want the President to help and see to it that the institution is upgraded to a degree-awarding institution as it is obtainable in the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) which is created solely for the training of men and officers for the military,” Thompson and Ebiefe-Ante said.

    Speaking on the reappointment of the Academy’s Rector, Dr Joshua Okpo, for a second term, the group stated that the action of the President clearly shows that he is a leader who rewards excellence.

    “We hail President Buhari for his boldness, courage and patriotism in re-appointing Okpo, who is a high performing public officer. It has demonstrated that President Buhari is a leader who rewards excellence.

    “Okpo’s re-appointment is meritorious and well deserved because, in the past four years, the Rector has done very well in rejuvenating the academy and positioning it for a degree-awarding institution. He has succeeded in bringing the international maritime community into the academy by facilitating MoUs that would be taking the cadets on sea time,” Thompson said.

    This implies that as soon as they finish their national diploma, they go on sea time in international vessel. This is how we would build the maritime sector,” they stated.

    The groups added that the Cabotage Law was moved in Nigeria by the National Assembly because of the maritime school in Nigeria that would be producing manpower that would allow vessels to be run by Nigerians.

    “Today our vessels are being run by foreigners. This is not good for our economy; therefore there was a need for Cabotage Law. The thrust of this Cabotage Law was producing manpower for the sector.

    The academy is therefore vital to the improvement of the maritime sector, and the Rector is responding by working hard to ensure that the quality of the cadet meets world standard.

    “Due to the infrastructure renaissance under the leadership of the present Rector, he has acquired what is called 360 degree simulator.

    This equipment is to enable the cadet know how ships look like in the classroom which is the practical training of the vessel in the classroom.

    “When the President saw the success recorded under the present Rector, he re-appointed him for the second tenure,” the youths’ leaders told journalists.

    They, therefore, urged various groups petitioning against the Rector to desist from such act and allow him to focus on the duties that will benefit the academy and the nation as a whole.

    “We the youth in Oron community are monitoring the progress of the academy because it is the only landmark we have in that part of the Niger Delta. So, if things are not well run, the youth will rise against the leadership.

    “We are hoping that by the end of his second tenure, the academy would have attained an international standard with numerous infrastructural development and acquisition of simulators for both Deck and Engine Departments in line with Manila Amendments,” Ebiefe-Ante affirmed.

    He equally urged the Rector to continue with the good work and ensure that excellence and professionalism characterise his remaining tenure in the academy.

  • Experts advocate safe maritime environment

    Experts advocate safe maritime environment

    The need for enhanced maritime security across Africa was the thrust of the second Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Conference held in Lagos.

    With about 20 countries and a total of 247 ýparticipants, including naval personnel, the two-day event highlighted the need for co-operation and teamwork among the sister navies.

    Organised by the Nigerian Navy, in collaboration with the International Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC), delegates reviewed the security challenges bedevilling African maritime environment with a view to proffering long-lasting solutions.

    Top among the challenges was lack of right platforms such as OPVs, to fight the activities of pirates, oil thieves, illegal bunkerers, illegal fishers and sea robbers, thereby boosting economic activities on the African Continent.

    With the theme “Facilitating Co-operation Across Africa and Focusing on Naval System and Coastal Surveillance to Enhance Maritime Security”, the conference also provided opportunity for associate sponsors to exhibit their security and defence equipment designed for the protection of oil and gas assets.

    Admiral Cunha
    Admiral Cunha

    In attendance were the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Vice-Admiral Ibo-Ete Ibas, Commander, Angolan Navy Admiral  Augusto Da Silva Cunha; Commander of Ghanaian Navy, Vice Admiral Biekro; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Idiat Adebule; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Aliyu Ismaila and Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Security and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Jauro.

    Others included Chief of Naval Transformation, Rear Admiral Sanmi Alade; Rear Admiral Goddy Ayankpele, Flag Officers Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command (WNC), Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) and Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Rear Admirals Jonathan Ango, Edmund Egbedina and Henry Babalola respectively, and chairman, conference planning committee, Rear Admiral Begroy Ibe-Enwo.

    Delegates highlighted the need for information sharing among neighbouring countries to effectively combat maritime crimes, just as they deliberated on enhancing regional policing with combined forces.

    The participants acknowledged the importance of collaborative partnership among the various stakeholders for integrated approach in tackling the challenge of maritime security in Africa, even as they noted the need for progressive change at all levels in maritime security issues since

    •From left: Vice Admiral Ette-Ibas, Ismaila, Dr. Adebule and Director Navy, Defence Ministry, Alkani Abduraman
    •From left: Vice Admiral Ette-Ibas, Ismaila, Dr. Adebule and Director Navy, Defence Ministry, Alkani Abduraman

    present methods were deemed to be unsatisfactory and ineffective.

    Maritime nations were advised to develop and optimise bilateral and multi-lateral agreements to mitigate maritime threats as well as establish Maritime Security Zones which should be implemented with commitment.

    In his opening and closing remarks, Ibas reminded participants of the strategic nature of African maritime domain with enormous potential that have been persistently challenged by a myriad of threats.

    The CNS noted that the threats constitute serious challenges with adverse consequences on collective maritime governance and economic well-being of member nations, even as he pointed out the need for the enthronement of constructive, proactive, sustainable and holistic maritime security architecture.

    “Regrettably, these threats constitute serious challenges with adverse consequences on collective maritime governance and economic well-being of nation states, particularly in Africa.  “As discomforting as these threats would appear, they are not insurmountable. Accordingly, Africa needs to be committed in embracing core attributes such as the elimination of sea blindness.

    “Deriving from this sub-regional agenda, Nigeria, acting through her Navy, has remained committed to the activation of the zone’s activities in terms of staff, equipment and operational assets.

    “In addition, the Nigerian Navy, along with its Zone E counterparts, has successfully obtained the permission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff to host regular meetings of Heads of Navies of Zone E states.

    In his remark, the special guest of honour, Ismaila noted the necessity to step up surveillance activities along the Gulf of Guinea to allow safe movement of goods, services and passengers in the entire region.

    He noted the general lack of enthusiasm to the development and facilitation of information sharing through naval systems and surveillance infrastructure.

    Ismaila said the second conference in Africa was significant as it symbolises a strategic collaborative initiative between the Nigerian Navy and other international maritime stakeholders.

    “It also presents a potent strategy required to mitigate the increasing vulnerabilities in African waters, especially the Gulf of Guinea.

    “The economic opportunities that abound in these waters have witnessed increasing interests across a broad spectrum of profitable commercial activities.

    “With such prospects amid immense resources, many observers believe that it presents incredible and exciting market potential for international businesses.

    “These economic prospects are, however, threatened by the common challenge of rising insecurity in our collective maritime domain. It, therefore, makes sense to posit that any initiative by the Nigerian Navy to build credible capacity that will guarantee our collective maritime defence and security must be encouraged and pursued with vigour.

    “This understanding is critical to maritime security. Regrettably, there is still a general lack of enthusiasm to the development and facilitation of information sharing through naval systems and surveillance infrastructure.

    “In my view, this lack of interest in maritime domain surveillance capitalisation has limited the capacity for collaboration and information sharing among maritime stakeholders in Africa.

    “This is more so as maritime criminals are highly mobile, thus making the crime itself very fluid and non-territorial; hence the need for co-operation among nation states.

    “Intelligence sharing within the maritime security community would guarantee meaningful and responsive objectives as a requirement for Maritime Domain Control (MDC). Therefore, putting in place a co-operation mechanism for maritime security stakeholders is a long way to go.

    “Let me also add that the collaborative initiative of the NN and IQPC is laudable and must be given the necessary support. We at the Ministry of Defence with the support of your government are doing what is necessary to enhance the asset capitalisation of the NN in order to improve its operational efficiency,” he said. For Jauro, such conferences were a necessity if the war against maritime criminals must be won.

    He reiterated NIMASA’s commitment to the safetyý and security of merchant shipping.

    Jauro said: “In NIMASA, our commitment to safety and security of merchant shipping is unwavering. This is why we have remained committed to the Memorandum of Understanding entered into with the Nigerian Navy which established the Maritime Guard Command (MGC) based in our head office with a navy captain as commander.

    “Indeed, we cannot claim any measure of success if it was not for the full backing of the Navy. Considering that we are not permitted to bear arms in enforcing our mandate, we have continued to strengthen our partnership with the navy towards eradicating these criminals which results are already positive.

    “The MGC has been able to arrest several vessels and persons engaged in one form of illegality or the other in our maritime environment.

    “These evils do not only negatively impact on the economies of littoral states but also hinder effective harnessing of the potential of the maritime sector while causing grave reputational damage to the sub-region. This trend must be reversed to ensure our collective prosperity.”

    While reiterating the importance of the West African sub-region to global economy, Babalola in his presentation stated that it is a pivotal international shipping route connecting the Far East to countries in the North and South of the Atlantic.

    He said: “It has also become a veritable sea route for international trade and commerce, especially now that the Arab Gulf passage is more costly and risky, due to conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. Additionally, the sub-region is endowed with abundant deposit of hydrocarbon as well as home to a substantial bio-diversity of marine resources. In fact, four per cent of global oil extraction comes from this region.

    To the Director, Ocean Explorers, Lieutenant Festus Erubore (rtd) said his knowledge has been broadened on the specific equipment needed by African navies in tackling peculiar maritime challenges.

    ”As a company that provides unique opportunities in maritime security surveillance; pipeline surveillance protection and interdiction; port facility security; port and vessel hardening; safeguarding hazardous material in a maritime environment; early detection technology; diving and salvage operation as well as high sea communication device, we are grateful to the navy for its ingenuity in organising this year’s OPV Africa conference” he said.