Despite the drama and controversies that characterized the maritime industry in the first quarter of the year 2012; stakeholders in the sector have given a clear verdict on the performance of the industry, saying that it is a little bit above average, even as they have advised that there is need to buckle up and do better.
Despite the drama and controversies that characterized the maritime industry in the first quarter of the year 2012; stakeholders in the sector have given a clear verdict on the performance of the industry, saying that it is a little bit above average, even as they have advised that there is need to buckle up and do better.
According to them, the maritime industry from January to March 2012 has been characterized by a lot of drama, the first of which is the increase in the spate of attacks on vessels on Nigerian territorial waters and the subsequent concessioning of the security of the maritime domain to private operators by the overseeing agency; the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)
Another major highpoint of the quarter according to them is the raging disagreement between the Nigeria Custom Service, the importers, and their clearing agents over the introduction of duty benchmark by the Customs.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily in an exclusive interview last week, President of the Nigerian Port Authority branch of the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations [SSACTAC], Comrade Umar Omeiza Jimoh however said that despite the challenges encountered, the Nigeria Port Authority has been able to suppress labor union strikes through adequate welfare service for labors unions.
‘’By giving NPA a pass mark, one will look at what the concessionaires have benefitted from the landlord; we will also consider the port users and other stakeholders. The Nigerian ports will soon become enviable by other West African ports as a result of what the landlords of the ports have been able to put in place and that is, some of the reason why we say that it performed well in the first quarter of this year’’
On his part, an indigenous ship owner and Chief Executive Officer of Oceanglory Commodities Limited, Reverend Cole Chiori, gave his verdict and told our correspondent that the industry had fared well despite the incessant attack on vessels in the nation’s territorial waters, he however advised that the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency [NIMASA] should increase its personnel on the maritime domain.
Chiori called on the apex agency to double its efforts in monitoring the nation’s waterways in order to safeguard vessels that are coming into the shores of the country.
On the freight forwarding sector, Reverend Chirori who equally operates a freight forwarding firm gave kudos to the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria [CRFFN] because it has been able to unite freight forwarders and clearing agents through its induction and registration which took place in January this year.
“We know that Nigeria is at risk in the area of incessant attack on vessels, but I will advice NIMASA to increase personnel in monitoring our domain, I know that the agency is planning on how to get more search and rescue boats and helicopters to patrol the waterways and I commend them for this”.
However ,the Chief Executive Officer ,Elkins Marine Training International Nigeria Limited, Chief Hugh Nwaneri told Shipping Position Daily that the attack on vessels by sea robbers can be properly addressed when the apex maritime regulatory agency; NIMASA; build more rescue centers with the latest gadgets to enable the free flow of information with distressed vessels.
He noted that there is need for NIMASA to improve in the area of protecting the nation’s water, adding that the performance of NIMASA for first quarter of the year was poor, due to incessant attack on vessels in the nation’s coast.
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