The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that the waiver clause that is enshrined in the Cabotage Act was sustained because Nigerians do not yet have capacity to own vessels which can equally serve as training platform for cadets.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos recently, Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi revealed that as at 2013, only three Nigerians own Platform Support Vessels (PSVs) that can be used in offshore operations.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has said that the waiver clause that is enshrined in the Cabotage Act was sustained because Nigerians do not yet have capacity to own vessels which can equally serve as training platform for cadets.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos recently, Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi revealed that as at 2013, only three Nigerians own Platform Support Vessels (PSVs) that can be used in offshore operations.
Akpobolokemi who was represented at the press conference by his Executive Director of Maritime Safety and Shipping Development, Capt Ezekiel Bala Agaba noted however that it is only recently through various efforts of NIMASA that Nigerians have started bringing PSVs.
The NIMASA boss who was fielding questions as to why Nigerian cadets are not given opportunity of sea term and job placements noted that until Nigerians start bringing in their own vessels, this might be difficult.
"When the Cabotage Act was enacted in 2003, it was the capacity of Nigerians that brought the waiver issue, if not, their oil and gas operations would have died"
"Since 2003 till now, how far have we gone with Nigerians improving their vessels so that the issue of waivers will be out? As at 2013 January, only three Nigerians own Platform Support Vessels (PSVs) that support training in oil offshore operations and this is wrong" he said.
He stressed that it is only when Nigeria's capacity improves that the International Oil Companies (IOC) will leave the system and Nigerians can come in and make the Cabotage become fully effective.
He assured that NIMASA and the Local Content law is getting tough with the IOC's and that Nigerians have now started bringing in PSVs. According to him, there has been an improvement in job placement because many vessels already have Nigerians onboard.
He said that the Cabotage department of NIMASA is very serious about not using foreigners on Nigerian flagged vessels and added that many vessels were currently in detention for that.
Speaking further, Akpobolokemi said: "It is to the advantage of Nigerian vessel owners to have Nigerians running their vessels than to have foreigners, it is cheaper for them, it is 40% cheaper for them, they don't have to fly their crew to their country every two weeks, they don't have to involve in VISA issues”.
The NIMASA helmsman also revealed that a lot of IOCs like Bourbon and Exxon Mobil were already changing their flags to Nigerian flags because it is cheaper to maintain this way.
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