The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Apapa Branch last week embarked on a one day training workshop for its members on ways to improve on equipment handling at the ports.
The association also lamented that the inadequacy of safety regulations and enforcement by its regulatory body, the Council for the Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN) is responsible for the failure to enhance better performance at the ports for effective service delivery.
The theme of the public lecture was: Maritime Equipment Handling: A Survey And Examination Of Shipping Handling Equipment.
Speaking at the workshop, the Director of Matra Maritime and an Accident Investigator; Engineer Ndudi Onyibe said, “the lecture centred on inspection of cargo lifting gears, with the view of reducing the possibilities of failure.
He said the training sought to proffer solutions to how to reduce the rate of accident at work.
The marine engineer affirmed, that “this is because we have been spending a lot of money in recent times on insurance claims due to failure of these machineries, resulting to injuries to personnel on the ship and stevedores, also damage to ship, damage to equipment and even damage to the cargo itself.”
“That is the essence of this lecture and as inspectors, our duty is to ensure that ports’ handling equipment are in the best working condition until the next inspection, so that there will be reduced rates of incidents of accidents and loss of manpower,” he said.
Onyibe pointed out that after inspection, it becomes the responsibility of the users to keep the equipment in that condition until the next inspection, stressing that those on the ship are competent enough to do the job and therefore do not need any monitoring and if they do not comply with standards, as an inspector he has the authority to withdraw their Certificate of Operation (CoO) until they comply.
Speaking earlier, president of NSE; Engr. Otis Anyaeji, who was represented by his Vice, Engineer. Mohammed Babagana, stressed the need for COREN to be independent from government activities for effective regulation.
“The regulations are on ground but enforcement has always been an issue because we are all corrupt as a result of the moral decadence in the society.”
He further stated, “COREN is under the ministry of works, they cannot regulate the government if they are under the government. ”
“We have been advocating for them to be separated but they have been resisting because they get N200 million annual subvention from the Federal Government.”
“They refuse to understand that the more they are independent the more they will be able to regulate engineering, even in government projects and facilities,” he opined.
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