After years of allegations by stakeholders that there is prevalence of fake certificates issued to different categories of seafarers in the Nigerian maritime industry, the apex regulatory agency; the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has finally given credence to the allegations.
In a paid ‘Marine Notice’ last week, the agency confirmed that indeed there is prevalence of fake or forged certificates in the Nigerian maritime industry.
In the publication, NIMASA however shifted the responsibility for fishing out such certificate and their holders to ship owners and shipping agents.
Quoting Section 89(2) of the Merchant Shipping Act 2007, NIMASA cautioned ship owners and their agents that it is their responsibility to verify all certificates presented by seafarers in their establishment.
According to NIMASA, “the ship owners are mandated to ensure that each ship is manned by qualified, certificated and medically fit seafarers in accordance with national and international requirements”.
It also directed that employers of seafarers should use all means available to verify such certificates, even as it warned that anyone in possession of a forged or fake certificate of discharge is liable under the same Merchant Shipping Act.
Last week’s confirmation came more than one year after Shipping Position Daily exclusively reported the presence of a certificate syndicate in the agency.
In July 2019, this newspaper reported that the process of issuing the all-important Certificate of Competency (CoC) and Discharge book to deserving seafarers may have been compromised by personnel of NIMASA.
Investigations carried out by Shipping Position Daily revealed that a particular office at the NIMASA head office in Apapa, Lagos which is in charge of issuing the Certificate is allegedly involved in gratification and issuing certificates to incompetent and unqualified seafarers for money.
Our correspondent had gathered from insider-sources that the half-baked seafarers allegedly paid as much as N75,000 to N85,000 to get the Certificates.
A source who confirmed our findings said that: “I was on the ground where the Certificate was issued, usually, to get it should not cost more than N25,000 to N30,000, but it comes with stress and the seafarers spend weeks before such is given to them”
“So they have to pay their way through, resulting in certificate buying, we saw people who went to do a one year course in Ghana on maritime related course and when they come back, as soon as they pay N85, 000, the COC will be given to them, we have cases of people who didn’t go to any maritime school, getting the COC, as long as they have the money the certificate will be issued”, he alleged.
Another source lamented that, corrupt Ship Masters are involved in the trending certificate racketeering.
“The Ship Masters are the ones who are meant to check the competency of these people, but as soon as they are given the money, they will recommend to NIMASA who then issue the certificate”, he added.
A seafarer who pleaded anonymity confirmed to our correspondent that there are such cases and some of the seafarers pay their way to get the certificate.
“We have cases like that, yes I know of some of my friends who actually paid their way through to get the certificate, although they have the required training, however the stress of going through the process of going for medicals and other things takes about a month, but as soon as they can afford the money required, the process will be fastened and in less than two days, they get their COC”.
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