The Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS) has said that it is collaborating with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) as well as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in order to tackle pollution of Nigerian waterways with carbon dioxide emission by ships.
Speaking exclusively with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week, Director General of the Chamber, Barr Obiageli Obi observed that there is a high level of ship pollution on Nigerian waters, caused by ship emissions.
According to her, most developed countries have phased-out single haul vessels from operation , but in Africa and especially Nigeria, single haul vessels are still in operation.
She said the situation is compounded in Nigerian waters because most of the vessels are old and out of class.
According to her "Carbon dioxide emission is part of the things killing our environment, and we are members of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and this is what the ICS is pushing all over the world"
"So, together with other chambers of shipping, we are working with the shipowners and other maritime agencies to disseminate the information"
"We must take care of our environment, the oceans must be kept healthy and clean, and therefore we must reduce these emissions"
"Some of them are from vessels that are old and outlawed, nobody is using single haul vessels again, but some of them are still in operation in Africa, especially Nigeria"
"We are creating awareness for the harzards of these C02 emissions, and we believe that the more awareness we create, the more people would be aware and comply with the standards. We are partnering with the NIMASA as the major agency and other regulators" she said.
"On our own, we are talking to all ship owners about the carbon dioxide emission which is part of what is killing our environment, the ocean is where we get our food from, water is life"
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