Cabotage: SAIPEM Engages Nigerian Seafarers

In what looks like a major breakthrough in the implementation of Cabotage law in Nigeria, Saipem Nigeria Limited has engaged 15 seafarers and marine engineers aboard the company’s offshore vessels.
This success was made open last week when five out of the first batch of seafarers who had successfully attended a special training at Charkins Maritime Training School paid an unscheduled visit to the office of the NIMASA Eastern Zone coordinator, Mr. Olayemi Abass.

In what looks like a major breakthrough in the implementation of Cabotage law in Nigeria, Saipem Nigeria Limited has engaged 15 seafarers and marine engineers aboard the company’s offshore vessels.
This success was made open last week when five out of the first batch of seafarers who had successfully attended a special training at Charkins Maritime Training School paid an unscheduled visit to the office of the NIMASA Eastern Zone coordinator, Mr. Olayemi Abass.
Receiving the new seafarers and engineers who were recently employed by SAIPEM in his office, Mr. Abass expressed his happiness over the development.
He said that the success story is a plus for NIMASA, and that the success should also be attributed to the NIMASA DG, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi who has insisted that the Cabotage implementation must work in Nigeria.
Mr. Abass recalled that when he assumed duty in Port Harcourt, there was nothing to show for the implementation of the law, he however said that since the DG gave a matching order to all the companies operating vessels in Nigeria waters, he has no choice but to insist on them to obey the law, which states clearly, that they must employ Nigerian seafarers.
According to him, apart from employing the seafarers and engineers, SAIPEM went a step further to get them properly trained at Charkin Maritime Training to ensure their compliance in line with international standard.
He urged them to be exemplary in their conduct at work, and that they must be socially responsible in order to open doors for other unemployed Nigerians.
Earlier in his speech, the leader of the new SAIPEM employed Seafarers/Engineers; Mr. Eric Oyem expressed gratitude to NIMASA for facilitating their employment at SAIPEM, saying that the process was orderly and credible. He promised that they will do all that is possible in order to meet up with high expectations of stakeholders.
Engineer Eric also said that the training they went through at charkins on BUSET and helicopter Safety Training at sea is of high international standard. Other members of the team that are already on the employment of SAIPEM includes; Augustine Ogaga, and Umukoro Leonard.