• Anxiety Over Fate Of 16 Crew Members
• Ship Allegedly Out Of Class
• No AIS Facilities
Nigeria’s maritime image again took a bashing last week in far-away Namibia where a ship belonging to one of Nigerian leading indigenous shipping companies, Genesis Worldwide Shipping MT Ben K was arrested by Namibian maritime authourities for multiple identities, being out of class and for non-possession of statutory communication signals.
The ill-fated ship is one of the fleet of Genesis Worldwide Shipping; owned by former minister of interior and frontline master mariner, Capt Emmanuel Ihenacho. Capt Ihenacho is also the chief executive officer of Integrated Oil and Gas. In fact, the ship; Ben K is regularly involved in shipment of petroleum products to Integrated Oil and Gas tank farm in Apapa.
The ship has been described by Namibian authority as unseaworthy and suspicious. Ben K was on her way from the port of Lagos to India. On board, is a crew of 13 seafarers – two Pakistanis and 11 Indians with a Captain Ajayi in command.
Namibian maritime security personnel reportedly stopped the ship on the country’s waters last week Thursday, about 8 nautical miles north of Swakopmund, after having spent nearly 25 days in Namibian waters before it was detected, and had been anchoring eight nautical miles north of Swakopmund.
Sources confirmed to Shipping Position Daily that they became suspicious when it was discovered that for the voyage to India, Ben K was flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea, but have until recently been flying Nigerian flag.
The Namibian Ministry of Works and Transport, through its Directorate Maritime Affairs confirmed to local media: “that MV Ben K has been apprehended and is currently anchored at NamPort, Walvis Bay."
Our correspondent was told that “after receiving word that the tanker was apparently at anchor north of Swakopmund, the navy sent its patrol ship NN BRENDAN SIMBWAYE to investigate. On board the patrol ship was a squad of Namibian marines, who boarded the Nigerian tanker and remained onboard as the ship was directed to Walvis Bay, where she now is under detention pending investigation.”
Shipping Position Daily investigations revealed further that the ill-fated tanker’s “AIS system had either been disabled or was non-functioning and that Namibian authorities are considering laying charges against the vessel’s crew.”
The AIS is an automatic tracking system used on ships. AIS are extremely helpful in avoiding ship collisions, reducing and monitoring traffic, assisting in navigation, search and rescue operations, and in investigation and research. Thus, AIS helps not only in tracking ships but also in avoiding accidents.
Our findings also revealed that “an oil products tanker by name of BEN K (15,456-dwt, built 1980) as registered in Nigeria and owned since 2007 by Genesis Worldwide Shipping, PO Box 1148, 41, Itapeju Street, Apapa, and Lagos, Nigeria.”
The Ben K’s Class has been allegedly withdrawn since November 2007.
The detention of Ben K along with her crew has put maritime authourities in Southern African sub region on red alert for Nigerian ships which often claim to be enroute India for the breakers but end up in accident or being abandoned in Southern African waters. Last year, a case similar to that of Ben K happened in South Africa.
An unseaworthy Nigerian flagged tanker called Phoenix attempted to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, also bound for the ship breakers in India, but instead ended up on the rocks off the KwaZulu-Natal coast at Sheffield Beach
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reportedly spent about R34 million in salvage costs to remove any oils and toxicants from the ship and to pull her clear of the coast and scuttle her south-east of Durban.
The salvage cost was borne by SAMSA because no responsible owner or agent could be found. The ship had basically been abandoned once she got into difficulties off the South African coast.
Discussion about this post