The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, told stakeholders in Onne, Rivers State, the importance of services rendered by seafarers to the international seaborne trade, the world market and the economy. He also assured them of decent wages. Maritime Correspondent OLUWAKEMI DAUDA was there.
Seafaring is the development of proficiency in various areas of shipboard operation which include diverse aspects of watch-keeping, navigation, marine engineering, meteorology, maritime law, report writing, ship-handling, rope/cable handling, and cargo management among others.
This underscores seafarers’ importance in an effective maritime sector and the nation’s economy.
As the country is in dire need of these professionals to grow her maritime sector, the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has promised that the government would provide the enabling environment for Nigerian seafarers to operate like their counterparts in other parts of the world.
Addressing over 1,000 stakeholders at the annual Seafarers’ Day celebration, organised by NIMASA at the conference hall of INTELS, Onne Port Complex in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Peterside emphasised seafarers’ importance to the economy and promised to address the challenges confronting them to attract young school leavers to embrace the career.
Decent wage, improved working and living conditions
Peterside said the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC), which comprises tripartite stakeholders, has reconvened to fashion out a decent wage regime and improved working and living condition for seafarers in line with what is obtainable internationally.
“It is, therefore, expected that once the collective bargaining agreement is signed, ship-owners will commence its full implemen-tation,” he stated.
He assured them that their welfare was critical to the growth of the sector, and that NIMASA would do all within its powers to implement International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Labour Organisation conventions on the welfare of seafarers.
Peterside also urged shipowners to give preference to Nigerian seafarers, especially in the Cabotage trade as against the practice of engaging foreigners.
“As Nigerians and maritime operators, we should be proud of our seafarers and also encourage them to develop their careers/compe-tences like their foreign counterparts”, he said.
Human capacity development
Peterside, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State in 2015, noted that if the country is to benefit from opportunities presented by the worldwide shortage of seafarers, then the first thing is to develop and build capacities of its maritime training institutions in line with global standards.
The Federal Government, he said, had approved that academic activities should begin at the Maritime University, Okerenkoko, in Delta State, this October.
He also noted that the establishment of the varsity by the Federal Government and other institutes for maritime studies in six universities across Nigeria were efforts by his agency towards building the requisite capacity for the industry.
“Cabotage Act is undergoing review and it is the Agency’s position that the review will take care of all the grey areas in the application, processing and granting of waiver to the extent that it should be seen to give some level of advantage to Nigerian seafarers, especially in the areas of employment and specialised training.”
He said that NIMASA will continue to give priority to capacity building initiatives in order to actualise its vision of making the agency a world class organisation in line with global best practices. This, according to him, has also led the agency to develop a multi-strategy approach to encouraging young school leavers to take a career in seafaring through the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
What NIMASA has done so far?
Under the NSDP programme, NIMASA has trained 2,259 young Nigerians in various fields of maritime studies in reputable Maritime institutions in the United Kingdom, Egypt, Romania, India and the Philippines.
Also, 943 cadets of the NSDP will soon be placed onboard ocean going vessels for their mandatory sea time, as facilitated by NIMASA with foreign institutions.
In March this year, the agency also facilitated the training of 428 Seafarers on mandatory courses and other specific areas of specialisation for career progression. These include STCW, Oil Tanker familiarisation (OTF), Efficient Deck Hand (EDH), ISPS awareness training and specialised training on Dynamic Positioning (DP).
Training of Cadets
For Nigeria to bridge the long manpower gap occasioned by dearth of manpower to man Nigerian owned vessels including foreign oceangoing vessels, shipping companies operating in the country need to invest in the training of cadets.
Stakeholders say the best seafarers in the world are those who go through a cadetship scheme. This is owing to the fact that the familiarity that comes with such training enables them to perform well in their responsibilities.
Alarmingly, the percentage of employable seafarers in Nigeria is very low basically because cadets have difficulties getting sea time opportunities, which denies them from sitting for the Certificate of Competency (CoC) that will make them internationally acceptable.
The deteriorating conditions of seafarers, indigenous ship owners say, is due to lack of adequate training, which could only be addressed by encouraging Nigerian ship owners to grow their fleet.
Confirming this, the President of Shipowners Association of Nigeria (SOAN), Greg Ogbeifun, said this can be achieved if government helps in harnessing the existing fleet of all shipping firms, and create a data base of vessels.
Ogbeifun, who noted that government needs to establish a national fleet and provide support funds for the indigenous players to acquire more vessels, also said that the private sector should be encouraged to develop marine training facilities like those prevalent in the Philippines and India, the leading providers of marine officers in the world.
The challenges facing seafarers were brought to the front burner by the Guest Speaker, Capt Fola Ojutalayo and other stakeholders at the forum. Some of them said the Federal Government, through relevant agencies, needed to address the challanges
Immigration Services
The Nigerian Immigration Services, Ojutalayo said, has extended an exercise of stamping Nigerian seafarers in and out of Nigerian vessels operating within the Nigerian territorial waters and failure to do this has regularly resulted into the seizure of the crew’s Seaman Book, contract papers and international passports.
Large amount of money, he alleged, are usually involved in getting these documents released at all times. “Now, the question is, do they usually stamp the international passports of Nigerian pilots/co-pilots or crew working onboard Nigerian registered Aircraft plying our domestic airspace,” he asked.
Customs Service
Nigerian seafarers are constantly taxed when buying common food items from the Nigerian market for their various vessels flying Nigerian flag within the nation’s territorial waters. Customs permit is usually demanded from the Nigerian crew. Failure to meet the demand or settle each Customs patrol on the water usually leads to outright seizure of the food.
Marine Police
They also demand settlement from the Nigerian seafarers on food items and provisions bought for the ships’ domestic consumption. Anytime they refuse to settle the police lead to traumatic delay and harassment.
Nigerian Navy
There is need for the Chief of Naval Staff to stop recurrent harassment of genuine Nigerian seafarers in uniform because the uniform looks alike with that of the Navy.
Port Health
The Nigerian Port Health Service officials also demand for free pratique and vaccination cards from the Nigerian seafarers working in the country. It was alleged that they collect ‘presents’ from their fellow countrymen.
NIMASA/NPA
There is overlapping functions on MARPOL. NIMASA, it was learnt, issues garbage record, while the pollution controls inspectors that come onboard is from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). The seafarers always settle themselves out of the quagmire. This is a poor garbage collection/reception from the Nigerian ships with long stay at anchorage.
NDLEA
The seafarers alleged that some officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency always set booby traps for them to enhance “the parting of heavy settlement.”
Work against the pirates
Piracy off the coast of Nigeria portends grave danger to the economic, security, and sociopolitical development of the country. It also threatens both international and regional trade as well as the stability of the West African sub-region. Despite federal govern-ment’s attempts to curb piracy caused by poverty, unemploy-ment, including corrupt and weak maritime regulatory and security institutions, attacks by pirates has continued to occur off the country’s coast.
Consequent upon the adverse effects of attacks by pirates on their day to day activities, seafarers can facilitate the suppression of piracy off the Nigerian coast. Seafarers are necessary partners to curb piracy off the coast of Nigeria through enforcing maritime security conventions and other related instruments as well as testifying against pirates during trials. There is no doubt that acts of piracy adversely affect crew members’ life, health, family, job, and finance thereby providing an overwhelming motivation for seafarers to play a role in suppressing piracy off the Nigerian coast.
