The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ship

  • Aisha Buhari names new NLNG’s ship

    Aisha Buhari names new NLNG’s ship

    The wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari  has named a new ship owned by Bonny Gas Transport (BGT), a subsidiary of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), LNG Abuja II.

    The naming of the new ship by Mrs. Buhari was done in her capacity as the vessel’s Godmother.

    At a ceremony in Geoje Island, South Korea, Mrs. Buhari with top executives and directors of NLNG and BGT conducted the ceremonial naming of the 175,000m3 ship, which will carry LNG from Bonny Terminal to customers around the world.

    The General Manager, External Relations Division of NLNG, Mr. Kudo Eresia-Eke said LNG Abuja II is the fifth ship to be commissioned from the six newly acquired vessels by NLNG. It is also the third ship by Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI). In 2013, BGT signed a contract with SHI and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for the construction and delivery of four and two ships.

    Mrs. Buhari said: “It was with great delight that I received the invitation of the management of Nigeria LNG Limited to be the God-mother of and commission this magnificent new vessel; one of five recently purchased.

    “The new ships, I learnt, are part of a growth programme, which will ensure that NLNG continues to develop its capacity and enhance its reputation as one of the most reliable gas suppliers in the world. I am, therefore, very pleased to be the new ship’s Sponsor Lady and Godmother. By tradition, the Sponsor Lady bestows good luck on the vessel and the crew, and I wish to assure you all, that this vessel will go out into the world, proudly flying Nigeria’s flag and be an enduring symbol of the partnership and cooperation between our two countries for many years to come.”

    The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer NLNG, Babs Omotowa said: “As we take possession of this great ship, we can reflect on the double symbolism of today’s event. Our country and the LNG business are both experiencing some difficult times. It is altogether fitting and symbolic that our country and our company are by this ceremony reaffirming our faith and confidence in a bright and prosperous future for our country as well as our industry.  This new vessel bearing the name of Nigeria’s capital city is a sign of that confidence and that is what this ceremony represents for us.

    “We take pride in the fact that LNG Abuja II is truly Nigerian. Based on Nigeria LNG’s local content aspirations, we have become the first Nigerian company to incorporate unique local content component into the construction of our vessels. Courtesy of this local content programme, over 600 young Nigerians acquired specialised skills in shipbuilding.

  • 25 foreigners rescued as Navy foils hijack of ship

    25 foreigners rescued as Navy foils hijack of ship

    Twenty five foreigners including Britons, South Africans, Indians, Filipinos and Thais were rescued as the Nigerian Navy foiled an attempt by suspected sea pirates to hijack and abduct the 25 foreign nationals aboard a Maersk merchant ship.

    At the time of the attack, the Ship was carrying general cargo to Nigeria.

    Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder Navy Capt. Olusegun Soyemi, said yesterday at Onne Port in Rivers State, that the vessel berthed safely with the rescued crew members unharmed.

    Capt Soyemi said the crew members, including the ship’s captain, were of mixed nationalities consisting of eight Philippines, eight South Africans, five Indians, two Britons and two from Thailand.

    According to him, Safmarine Kuramo, a Maersk merchant ship registered in Singapore, was transporting general cargo from Port-Noire, Congo, to Onne Sea Port in Rivers.

    “On Jan. 5 at about 08:00 hours; Sufmarine Kuramo was attacked by sea pirates about 60 nautical miles off the coast of Bonny Island (in Rivers) Fairway Bouy.

    “We got may-day distress call that the ship was boarded by unconfirmed number of sea pirates after entering the nation’s territorial waters.

    “We immediately dispatched a warship (NNS Centenary) and attack gunboats led by Navy Capt. Chiedozie Okehie of the Eastern Naval Command to rescue the situation.

    “The sea pirates apparently on sighting advancing naval troops fled the scene for fear of being arrested by our operatives.

    “The operation was largely successful as all 25 foreign crew members, including the captain, are safe and unhurt, while cargo onboard the ship is intact,” he said.

    Capt. Soyemi said the pirates had fired several gunshots at the ships control room apparently to scare and subdue any resistance from the captain and crew members.

    Also, the Commanding Officer of NNS Centenary, Capt. Chiedozie Okehie, who led the operation, said the crew members locked and hid themselves in the ship’s citadel (engine room).

    He said the rescue was successful partly due to the courage and bravery exhibited by the ship’s captain – a woman.

    According to him, in spite all odds, she covertly gave navy operatives briefs while pirates on board the ship made several attempt to break into the citadel.

    “Immediately we got to the ship, we carried out thorough searches of the compartments and cabins to check if any pirate remained onboard.

    “Investigations are ongoing to ascertain what happened and who carried out the attack,” he assured.

    Capt. Okehie said the navy under the command of Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas remained fully committed to safety of the nation’s waterways and maritime environment.

    Speaking, the Captain of Safamarine Kuramo, Ms Zetta Gous-Conradie, a South African, described the experience as horrific.

    Gous-Conradie hailed the Nigerian Navy for its prompt response to her distress call.

    “We are very grateful when the navy came onboard because at some point we had thought the pirates would take us hostage.

    “The heat was stifling because the temperature was very hot at the citadel, and at some point my crew members and I had thought we would suffocate and die,” she said.

  • Navy intercepts ship with 41 illegal migrants in Calabar

    Navy intercepts ship with 41 illegal migrants in Calabar

    The Eastern Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy in Calabar Thursday intercepted ship AV Agamba 41 illegal migrants who had come in from Gabon at the Shoreline jetty in the Cross River State capital.

    Also on board the ship were 183 Nigerians.

    Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir, said that the ship was intercepted by men of the Navy on routine patrol.

    Abdulkadir, who pointed out that the ship was only allowed to berth at the jetty because a majority of the passengers were Nigerians, said that the Federal Government has placed a ban restricting dumping of illegal immigrants in Nigeria ports.

    He said that out of the 183 Nigerians, about 93 of them were children, saying that 83 of the children and a majority of the adults had no travelling passport, but rather, came in with `emergency travelling certificates’.

    According to him, the Navy was out to confirm whether the children were taken illegally into Nigerian or not.

    He said there was a need to profile them and trace their origin.

    “We also have 41 foreigners on board this ship. Out of this number, four of them are from Central African Region while others are from the West African region.

    “Over 35 of them again are with emergency travelling certificate and no passport. We are trying to work with the Nigeria Immigration to re-assure ourselves that there are not of any dangerous character.

    “It is a big concern for us that people are coming into this country without proper travelling documents.

    “Now that there is Lassa fever and other health challenges, we also want to ensure that those that are here are of no health threat to the people around,’’ he said.

    The FOC said that the police and the Department of State Security, who were also on ground at the jetty, would check the Nigerians to ensure that they are of no security threat to the society.

    “We will hand the foreigners over to the Immigration Service for proper check. Anyone found with illegal travelling document would be sent back to Gabon.

    “We are concerned about security. We want to ensure that the proper thing is done and we cannot afford to allow illegal immigrants into this country anyhow.

    “I am happy that the relevant security agencies are all here. Anyone one of them found with illegal document will be repatriated back to Gabon with this same ship,’’ the FOC said.

  • 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.

     

  • Why oil theft persists in the Niger Delta – Navy Commander

    Why oil theft persists in the Niger Delta – Navy Commander

    Commodore Aliyu Sule, Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, has identified impunity and slow pace of adjudication as factors responsible for the persistence of illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta region.

    Sule stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Warri.

    He said the process of trial of arrested suspects for oil theft was slow which encouraged the perpetrators to easily go back into the illicit act.

    According to him, the cases of more than five ships apprehended by his command over stolen oil since 2005 were yet to be resolved in the courts.

    “It takes a longer time for justice to be done in matters of oil theft that is why the illicit business persists.

    “So suspects should be tried almost immediately and jailed,’’ he said.

    Sule stressed the need for effective surveillance and speedy trial of oil thieves, saying these were germane in eradicating illegal bunkering in the region.

    He disclosed that his command had adopted a constant and effective surveillance of the hinterland from both land and air with a view to adequately comb the terrains.
    He noted that the approach was yielding positive result.

    “We will continue to go after them until they desist from it,’’ he said.

    NAN recalls that Sule, who assumed leadership of the NNS Delta in April, had destroyed 28 illegal refineries and over 2,700 metric tons of crude oil in less than three months.

    The exercise was carried out in three separate operations between June and August in Warri South and Warri South-West Local Government Areas of Delta.

    Sule said that in the recent operation in Kantu forest on Aug. 13 in Warri South-West, nine illegal refineries and over 700 metric tons of crude oil were destroyed.

    He said that three generating sets and five portable pumping machines were recovered in the raid.

    NAN reports that it was the second time Kantu forest would be invaded by the naval personnel to destroyed illegal refineries in three weeks.

    “Again, my men raided Kantu forest and destroyed nine illegal refineries and about 700 metric tons of crude oil over a large expanse of land,’’ he said.

    The Commander said that the determination of the navy to combat illegal oil deal was in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s zero tolerance on crude oil theft and other illegalities in the waterways.

    The commander also warned the perpetrators against the consequences of their action warning that whoever is caught would face the full weight of the law.

  • NIMASA decries ‘indiscriminate’ ship recycling, scrapping

    NIMASA decries ‘indiscriminate’ ship recycling, scrapping

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has decried the indiscriminate and unauthorised recycling and scrapping of ships within the seashores, especially in Lagos.

    Safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships, otherwise known as the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) 2009, is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after the end of their operational lives, do not pose any risk to human health.

    It is important to obtain approval from the industry regulator before ships are recycled and scrapped because they contain environmentally hazardous substances, such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydro-carbons and ozone depleting substances, among others. It also addresses the working and environmental conditions at many of the world’s ship recycling yards.

    Ship recycling and scrapping are done on most beaches in the country, especially Lagos, without authorisation. Though Nigeria is yet to domesticate the HKC, it can implement and enforce the HKC as a proactive measure to check ship recycling in line with the powers conferred on NIMASA under the provisions of Part X of NIMASA Act 2007 and Section 382 (1 and 2) of Merchant Shipping Act 2007.

    Before the domesticates HKC, country, a stop-gap measure in regulating the activities of ship recycling and scrapping has been developed by the NIMASA Marine Environment Management Department.

    Under it, ship recycling facilities (SRFs) and ship owners are to seek permit from the agency before embarking on any form of breakage.

    Ships, investigations show, are being scrapped at various locations within the Lagos shores. The Nation gathered that NIMASA decided to take proactive measures to stop the scrapping by inviting the companies involved to a meeting. It was also learnt that after the meeting, companies were issued with environmental requirements to fulfil before the issuance of scrapping permit to enable them continue with their activities.

    This has resulted in the regulation and monitoring of ship scrapping activities by NIMASA. The agency has pegged N200,000 as the fee for processing the permit and N200,000 as approval of ship scrapping plan.

    Some of the requirements for obtaining ship scrapping permit include an application letter for scrapping permit from a vessel owner, ship recycling plan, approval to operate a ship scrapping yard, evidence of clearance from Regulator of Shipping (RoS) where applicable (deletion certificate), and letter of indemnity from company with seal.

    Others include compulsory insurance to cover entire operation, fire-fighting equipment, gas-free for hot work certificate, first aid apparatus, sludge and bilge water receptacles, and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as hand gloves, nose protectors, safety glasses, safety boots, among others.

     

  • Ship owners deplore govt’s failure to enforce Cabotage Act

    The Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria(ISAN) has deplored the Federal Government’s inability to enforce the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act 2003 (Cabotage Act) to enable them participate in crude oil lifting.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, ISAN General Secretary Captain Niyi Labinjo urged the government to implement the law to give indigenous shipping companies opportunity to participate in oil business.

    The country, he said, exported about 2.5 million barrels of oil yearly, wondering why indigenous ship owners are not empowered to lift about 1.5 million barrels.

    The banks, the ISAN scribe said, were willing to give them loans if the government could give them appreciable quantity to carry.

    He gave the example of Brazil where the government approves about 700 agencies which issue certificate of compliance on local content.

    Labinjo said about five years ago, the government trained 200 cadets under the National Seafarers Development Programme. He noted that since there were not enough shipping companies to work with, the cadets have been jobless.

    He advised the government to provide enough funds for the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom, to enable the academy to produce skilful cadets for the nation.

    He, therefore, sought proper compliance with Nigerian Content Act and encouragement of the association to participate fully, in the cabotage regime.

    “We will continue to press the government. We’ll continue to make our views known about the need for proper compliance with cabotage; about the need for proper compliance with the Nigerian Content Act.” If I have a government that is insisting that this year out of the 2.5 million barrels of oil that Nigeria exports, 1.5 million barrels would be carried by Nigerian and they say ISAN take this 1.5 million barrels, go and carry it, we will gladly go to the bank; the bank will give us money and we will do it.

    “So if you now say what is our expectation then we will now say this year we will struggle to carry the one million the government has given to us and hopefully by next year, we will do 1.5 million barrels. That is the expectation.

    “That is what has happened in the case of Brazil. Their government insists that you must use local content and the government approves about 700 agencies which were issuing certificate of compliance on local content.

    “So if you are producing this locally and it is being used by the oil and gas sector, someone will intend to continue to do it,” he said.

     

  • Ship owners flay Cabotage Act

    The Indigenous Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN) has berated the inability of the Federal Government for not enforcing the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act 2003 (Cabotage Act) to enable them to participate in crude oil lifting.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, its General Secretary, Capt. Niyi Labinjo, urged the government to implement the law and give indigenous companies opportunity to participate in the oil business.

    The country, he said, exports about 2.5 million barrels of oil yearly, wondering why the indigenous ship owners are not empowered to lift about 1.5 million barrels.

    The banks, he said, were willing to give them loans if the government could give them some contracts to lift oil.

    He cited Brazil where the government approves about 700 agencies to issue certificate of compliance on local content.

    Labinjo said about five years ago, the government trained 200 cadets under the National Seafarers Development Programme and regretted that since there were not enough shipping companies to employ them, the cadets had been rendered jobless.

    He advised the government to provide enough funds for the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron in Akwa Ibom, to enable the academy to produce more cadets for the nation.

    “We will continue to press the government. We’ll continue to make our views known about the need for proper compliance with cabotage; about the need for proper compliance with the Nigerian Content Act.

    “If I have a government that is insisting that this year out of the 2.5 million barrels of oil that Nigeria exports, 1.5 million barrels would be carried by Nigerian and they say, ‘ISAN take this 1.5 million barrels, go and carry it,’ we will gladly go to the bank. The bank will give us money and we will do it.”

     

     

     

     

  • Toxic waste ship still detained in Lagos

    The ship, MV Marivia, arrested at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos on Wednesday with two containers of e-waste is still being detained, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    An official of the Tin-Can Island Container Terminal, who preferred anonymity, told NAN on Saturday that the “ship is still there and has not sailed out’’. The source said that the ship had finished discharging other goods and was closely being guarded by securitymen. NAN reports that the two offensive containers were laden with used electronics, including television sets, computers, central processing units (CPU), digital video recorders, microwaves, pressing irons and stereo sets.

    The 23,652 tonnage container ship which berthed on Wednesday arrived from Tilbury in London. The authorities of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), NESREA and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) detained the vessel.

    The numbers of the two containers are: ECMU 9894510 and ECMU 9870858. On Friday, Hajia Hadiza Mailafia, the Minister of Environment, told reporters in Abuja that the owners of the vessel had been fined one million dollars to serve as a deterrent. Mailafia said that the culprits involved in the intercepted vessel would face life imprisonment if convicted.

    Earlier, Dr Ngeri Benebo, the Director-General of National Environment Standards Regulatory Agency (NESREA), had told NAN that the containers would be sent back to the port of origin. Benebo said the repatriation of the containers were in conformity with the provisions of the Harmful Wastes Act. “We are sending the e-wastes back to the port of origin,’’ the director-general said. She said that the agency’s action was guided by the provisions of the laws of Nigeria and warned that “Nigeria would resist any attempt by any country to make the country a dumping ground.” The director-general said the suspected importers of the cargo were traced to Umezime Street, Alaba International Market, and arrested.

    Meanwhile, a maritime expert, who did not want his name mentioned, said the security around the ship was expected. According to the expert, the security agencies will strive to avoid a repeat of the escape of the illegal bunkering ship MT African Pride from Nigerian waters in August 2004. NAN reports that this is not the first attempt to dump toxic wastes in Nigeria. The first time was in 1988 when a shipment of over 3,500 tonnes of toxic wastes from Italy was dumped in Koko Port in Delta. In April 2010, the NCS arrested and detained a Maersk Line vessel, MV Nashiville, laden with toxic waste (lead batteries classified as Basel code A1180 and broken televisions. In June 2010, NCS also arrested and detained a ship, MV Gumel, in Lagos Port for bringing eight containers with materials suspected to be toxic waste.