A former Government Inspector of Ships (GIS), Mr Olu Akinsoji has urged the Federal Government to remove all the wrecks constituting environmental hazards in the Lagos Pilotage District.
Akinsoji, a marine engineer, and also a former Sole Administrator of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron Akwa Ibom state said that the wrecks should include those in the way of navigation and others.
“Hitherto, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency have concentrated on removing the wrecks in the navigable passage of ships.
A former Government Inspector of Ships (GIS), Mr Olu Akinsoji has urged the Federal Government to remove all the wrecks constituting environmental hazards in the Lagos Pilotage District.
Akinsoji, a marine engineer, and also a former Sole Administrator of Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron Akwa Ibom state said that the wrecks should include those in the way of navigation and others.
“Hitherto, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency have concentrated on removing the wrecks in the navigable passage of ships.
“Their interest has been limited to only those wrecks that hinder navigation. That is why they can say that they have completed 100 per cent removal of all wrecks,” he said.
Akinsoji, said that there were wrecks that were not in the way of navigation, but constituted environmental hazards.
He said that such wrecks should not be allowed to remain in the Lagos Pilotage District.
Akinsoji advised that there should be a law to ensure that anyone who abandoned ship in the waterways and the coastline were prosecuted.
According to him, this should be regardless of whether the wreck is in the way of navigation or otherwise.
“The authorities should ensure that whosoever abandons his ship is not only prosecuted, but made to remove the wreck or pay the cost of removal of the wreck,’’ Akinsoji said.
He said that the NPA was now saying that bigger ships were now able to come into Nigerian ports because they had been dredged.
The marine engineer advised the NPA to publish a chart of the channel on regular basis so that ordinary persons could view it.
“The NPA has hydrographic vessels and they should measure the depth of the water and publish a chart of the channels on monthly basis and gazette it.
“This will enable ship owners and captains to compare and have evidence of the result of government’s dredging efforts.
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