As the seeming controversy over operation of the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in Lagos port by Ocean Marine Securities Limited (OMSL) continues, operators in the maritime industry have called for caution, stressing that it can scare foreign vessels from the nation's seaports.
Reacting to the recent threat by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to scrap the security initiative which a joint committee of the National Assembly had applauded after investigation of its activities, some key players in the industry charged all the parties involved in the dispute to resolve the matter amicably in the interest of the nation's maritime economy.
One of those who expressed concern over the minister's threat to scrap the service of OMSL on the SAA while opting for a foreign security firm is Dr McGeorge Onyung, President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN).
Speaking on the issue via the telephone, Dr McGeorge who is also the Managing Director of Jevkon Oil & Gas, Nigeria Limited, said his association is very concerned about the safety of the nation's waterways.
He stated that if the nation’s waterways are not safe we will lose business, stressing that the country remains a very important vessel destination in Africa.
He, therefore, called the parties involved to come to a round table discussion and tackle the grey areas with a view to resolving them in national interest.
Responding to the question of his association’s' position on the issue, he said,” our position has always been that we need a sustainable solution to security in our waters."
On the danger of the absence of definite security outfit and impact on his members, he said, "We are ship owners; we have high tickets bank transactions on and we carry heavy loans to acquire our ships and we do not want our business disrupted by hoodlums and charlatans and pirates, so we would support any action whether it is government, whether it is private, public that is going to ensure that our waters are safe from pirates, so that we can conduct our businesses properly."
Expatiating on why it's vital to ensure safety for the sector's operation, he said, "Shipping is 90 percent of global trade transaction and without shipping there is no shopping.
Dr McDonald who stated that the association has written to President Muhammadu Buhari, explained that they called his attention to the need to resolve the "confusion going on in our waters and that the president should intervene urgently. That he makes sure he calls all worrying parties to order so that we can have a safe ocean to do our business."
SAA- a national service provider
Speaking further, he said, "What I am trying to tell you is this, Ocean Marine is a member of our association, we are Ship Owners Association of Nigeria. He is one of our key members and that is what is stated in that letter and they are providing a service for which we are benefiting and we have taking a position with the Senate in a public hearing and that position is that, they are doing a good job and the Senate agreed with us.
"So that’s our position, they have put an investment of 400million dollars in a shipping domain where we are still struggling in financing kits and so on. So therefore we should not allow such a business to die because if it does, so many people will be out of work and the progress we have made in shipping development will be loss.
"As president of ship owners’ association, all I can say is that let everybody calm down, and let everybody come to the drawing board and proffer a proper solution.
"I am not ignorant of the fact that NIMASA and Ministry of Transportation have invested money to bring another set of security apparatus, we are still waiting, we have heard about the news and we welcome that news, but we are saying that if the aim is for security, then they should be an integrated security arrangement that will not be merge with any kind of confusion. In other words, it will be straight forward for everybody so that all parties can dialogue.
"Security is security, the aim is to make sure that our waters are secured with everybody and I don’t think it is what only Ocean Marine can do and I want to say categorically that, Ocean Marine is not the only company that is providing security arrangement for especially the oil servicing industry, with an arrangement with the Nigerian Navy.
"There are many other security agencies that have same arrangement with the Navy. It's not only Ocean Marine that has that arrangement, so I can’t see why they cannot allow all the security agencies involved to work together.
"For me it is the Navy who initiated the strategy and then leveraging with NIMASA and Ministry of transportation, they can as well now integrate a proper security structure in our waters and I don’t think it is rocket science; it is something that can be done."
According to him, if our waterways are not safe, the country will lose business. He warned that Nigeria is a predominantly importer-nation, stressing that apart from crude oil, the country hardly export anything.
His words: "Everything that comes to us here comes through the ocean and it is those ships that bring us all those goods that we are striving on here. Traders or any kind of person doing any business rely on shipping so if we are not able to have those ships come then even our economy will be impacted."
Also speaking in the same vein, another stakeholder; Chief Executive Officer of First Planet Energy, Mr. Kennedy Rhima said that the continuous engagement of Ocean Marine Solution Limited will bring about the safety and security of vessels in the Lagos Pilotage district.
He however called for a closer collaboration between the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the Nigerian Navy and other stakeholders involved in the matter.
Rhima was of the opinion that any attempt to stop the security services being provided by Ocean Marine Solution could spell doom for ships calling at the Lagos ports.
He said: "The matter has been a controversial one; the safety and security of both vessels and personnel manning these vessels should be the goal of parties involved.
"I will urge Captain Okunbo to liaise with the relevant agencies involved and straighten whatever needs to be straighten."
US Travel Advisory on Nigerians
Meanwhile, last week, the United States warned her citizens of what it called the risks of traveling to Nigeria.
The warning tagged: "Reconsider travel to Nigeria," listed proposed threats any of its citizens are likely to face if they visit the country to include: "crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime."
The US embassy then went ahead to list the areas with increased risk potential in the coastal region as follows: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, and Rivers states (with the exception of Port Harcourt), adding the restriction in this area is due specifically to crime, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.
Interestingly, Lagos which is the commercial capital of Nigeria and a coastal city was exempted from the list, even though it habours the largest seaports. Some experts have attributed this to the SAA initiative that has reduced the cases of maritime crime in the region since its implementation.
Financial Benefits
According to the National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Increase Uche, the SAA is saving ships about $225,000 on each call at Lagos ports.
In a chat with journalist, the NAGAFF stated that contrary to claims that the SAA is leading to increasing in cost of shipping, and security of ships at the SAA by the Nigerian Navy, using platforms provided by OMS Limited, is helping multinational shipping lines to save a whopping $225,000 on a journey to Lagos ports.
He said: “We don’t want to go back to the old order. We are asking the Federal Government to look critically into this issue so that the SAA is not dismantled.
“As freight forwarders, we are major port users of shipping services, moving cargoes across seas to Nigeria. We are comfortable with the service, and we urge the Federal Government to let the SAA be so that multinational shipping lines can continue to patronise our seaports,” he said.
Uche added: “To us the practitioners, what we are advocating is that government should look at the issue critically. If the NPA is agitating that such measures should be terminated, let us look at it holistically and ensure that the government is not being short-changed.”
National Assembly's exonerate OMSL of fraud
Late last year, a joint committee of the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives on the Nigerian Navy, Marine transport and Finance investigated claims of illegality of the operations of OMSL at the SAA in Lagos seaport. The committee came out with a clean bill of health for OMSL and offered useful suggestions on how to advance the sector.
The committee recommended among others, "That Ocean Marine Solution Limited (OMSL) should be commended for its genuine national interests in investing over Four Hundred Million ($400,000,000) Dollars into the Security at the Secured Anchorage Area (SAA) in particular and the Nigerian waterways in general by providing the needed platforms and logistics for the Nigerian Navy to effectively perform 24/7/365 patrol operations as well as to provide the required protection for vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos ports."
On the issue of defrauding the nation, the committee said, "That since no fraud is found in the operations of the OMSL and is operating at no cost to government, OMSL should be allowed to continue its operation at the SAA until such a time when a better and more cost effective system is put in place by the government.
And, "That the Nigerian Navy should be properly funded to enable it procure needed vessels to clear the over one hundred and fifty (150) vessels deficit to enable them carry out their constitutional responsibilities without over depending on Private Maritime Logistics Support Companies (PMLSC)."
Looking at the mirror
While it is pertinent to reflect at decisions before taken then, some industry watchers have attributed the unfolding scenario to lack of understanding of the importance of the service being rendered by OMSL to the nation's maritime industry in particular and the Gulf of Guinea in general, others believe that it is propelled by the Nigerian factor.
Those who hold the later view wonder why some individuals after the decision by the nation's Senate, is insisting that it is not bound by such.
What this portrait in its entirety is an attempt to create a face-off between the agency and the National Assembly. Those knowledgeable about such confrontations argue that the outcome is usually not favourable to national interest.
Interestingly, the management of OMSL has remained calm over the controversy as it has refused to join issues with anybody except for the invitation of the National Assembly it had to honour.
Moreover, in what some have described as working for national interest, OMSL has continued to provide security service at the anchorage to the admiration of ship owners and operators that anchor their vessels at the designated area.
Hence, the happenings are perceived as despising the National Assembly and trying to flex muscles with the lawmakers, as the move is a violation of the stand of the lawmakers as reflected in the committee's submission.
As advised by operators in the maritime industry, there are indications that the management of OMSL is willing and ready to partner with the Nigerian Ports Authority in the Secured Anchorage Area for the lager interest of the nation and its economy.
Stakeholders are however of the opinion that if the security arrangement in the Lagos Pilotage District is replicated in other ports, it will curb the issue of insecurity currently being experienced in that axis and boost the economy of both flanks and in turn benefits the Nigeria economy as whole. So, why threaten what is saving the economy.
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