Mrs Rollens Macfoy is the CEO of Ocean Deep Services limited, a seasoned administrator with over 28 years of experience. She is also the chairperson, Maritime Safety, Security & Environmental Protection committee, Women in Maritime; Africa (WIMAFRICA). In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, Mrs Macfoy bares her mind on why she set up a seafaring and maritime training Academy, she also talks about the challenges of seafarers in the country, among others
“All we need is for ship owners; both foreign and local t stop discriminating against Nigerians”
Tell us about Ocean Deep Services?
This company is a crane and manning company and over the years, after I have worked for several years in the oil and gas company; this company was born in 2010, and since then we have been doing crane and manning, and when I talk about crane and manning. I am sure as a journalist you know what crane and manning is all about, we are into capacity building of seafarers to ensure that necessary educational background are properly in order, and we came into this industry in 2010, when it was quite very rough with most Nigerians seafarers termed unqualified by the foreign companies and some of the very big Nigeria companies, we brought into enlightenment all these issues and that was about the time also Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) also began training, because of the challenges and all that, NIMASA started the capacity building issues and started training of seafarers.
We also manning some foreign vessels, found out that the challenge was enormous and we spoke with NIMASA, and they saw that it was a very big issue and we began to push, I don’t know about any other company but our company pushed and the training started, and of course shortly before that, came the IFBF in 2012 and we were at the verge of losing; even the provision to the foreigners, we have been pushing this course and we looked at it and saw that it is not what the government can handle alone and on our own part the management decided to take up the challenge, taking up the challenge in the sense that I as a person being at the top of the affairs, I wasn’t happy because of the future of the youth and it is like a burden to me, so this company decided to embark on scholarship programme we wrote to NIMASA on that, and they promise that in another five years they would have a set of seafarers on scholarship and today we have had almost 20 on our scholarship programme and we have produced about five offi
cers. Also pushing and looking at the way things were going made us to go into training and that gave birth to Ocean Deep Maritime Academy and for now we are specialized in all ISPS programmes and we have been licensed by NIMASA and we have people coming even from outside the country- Ghana, Liberia and so on, to take courses in Marine, Oceanography and other related courses.
Where is the school located?
We have a classroom here that can take about 20 people, then we are also in collaboration with Rock View Hotel, we make use of their conference room that can also take 20 to 30 people but then the permanent site is ongoing at Agbara(Lagos).
There has been issue of issuance of Certificate of Competence to non-seafarers by NIMASA, are you aware of this?
You see, just like it is in every other industry or every other educational institution, we have the original certificates and there are the fake certificates, and I do not see NIMASA issuing such fake certificates. But I see individuals perpetrating such evil, and if we can have fake money or fake dollar then what is it about NIMASA certificate. Also people should understand that there are two ways of entering the industry when it comes to seafaring , one the educational way, where people will have to go through institution like MAN Oron, Oceanography and several other institutions, and of course we have the lay man way entering for people who are not so educated like the school cert holders, they can also come into this profession, in the sense that we have short programmes for them where we give them practical training; we just show them the practical way of handling things so that when they go on board they are exposed to this and they are the helping hands on board vessels and from there they start gath
ering experience and a lot of them have turned out fine after gathering experience for three or five years
And for those who have the formal education, these ones are coming with experience with practical work, they go for certificate courses like marine engineer, some of them do Motor Man course and because some of these people have worked with CAT engine before, they have either worked with MIKANO or learnt how to repair diesel engines, so the only thing different is the application, so when such person comes in and take courses on motor Man and then go back to NIMASA to take exam on watch keeping, he becomes an oiler on board, after being an oiler on board for two to three years, he can then proceed and go and sit for the Certificate of Competence and from there proceed like that to officer cadre and from there to Chief Engineer.
Talking about the Watch Keeping Exam, some seafarers had complained during the last Seafarers’ day that the cost of taking the exam is too high, what’s your take on this?
If it is watch keeping, I don’t think so, because watch keeping is less than N15, 000 maybe perhaps they are talking about the Certificate of Competence.
Earlier this year, NIMASA said there will be end to waiver cessation on Cabotage to foreigners, do you think we truly have seafarers that can take over from foreigners in the area of manning and crewing?
I believe so and I will give you my reasons. One, if NIMASA has spent money in sending more than 1000 seafarers to different countries and all of them are back, and I know most of them are doing their cadets chief training internship on some vessels right now, have had like four of them on the vessel that Iam managing and I can guarantee that Nigeria has the capacity, but the only thing I would ask NIMASA to do is to make sure they monitor the vessels where these seafarers are, and ensure that the foreigners manning these vessels teach them what they are supposed to teach them , because if they are being sidelined, then we are going to have a truncated growth in this area, but if they are learning what they are supposed to be learning, I can assure you that Nigeria has the capacity.
One of the vessels that this company manages went to Indian two years ago and Nigeria went with the vessels, so I can only tell you that the only thing we need is good monitoring.
To the glory of God, I have worked with a company that has 14 vessels and all 14 vessels were manned by Nigerians; no single foreigner was on board and there was no single accident or ill-luck and if that could be, then I don’t see any big deal in coastal vessels. All we need is for ships owners; both foreign and locals to accept and stop discriminating against Nigerians.
What do you have to say about the present unemployment rate among Nigeria Seafarers?
If Cabotage is implemented, unemployment of seafarers will be dead, in fact there will not be enough seafarers to man coastal vessels, we hope this will be just like NIMASA is planning with the Cabotage waiver.
The Federal Government through the Minister of Transportation last year said he has not approved any training for cadets under the NSDP training outside Nigeria due to the Maritime Academy Oron, do you really think this is a good move?
Of course they have to consolidate those ones who have gone for the training, because when they finish schooling and they have not been able to have the necessary training, that is, sea time training why do you have to send another, so it is better to consolidate those ones that were sent during the time of Akpobolokemi and ensure that these ones are placed, but where these ones are roaming on the street, why do we have to send another set. It’s better to consolidate those ones first.
What’s your take on MAN Oron?
MAN Oron has witnessed a very Good administration recently and a lot of things have turned around there, but the only thing I would want them to do, is to issue the certificate right on time, because by the time you finish and your certificate is not with you, then it means you have not finished and that is like a hindrance and of course a vessel should be dedicated to them for training so that the cadet can embark on training even while in school.
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