There has been a sharp drop in attack on trawler vessels and smaller tankers on Nigerian waters, the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has confirmed.
President of the association; Engineer Matthew Alalade confirmed the development to our correspondent exclusively during a chat in Lagos last week.
There has been a sharp drop in attack on trawler vessels and smaller tankers on Nigerian waters, the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association has confirmed.
President of the association; Engineer Matthew Alalade confirmed the development to our correspondent exclusively during a chat in Lagos last week.
According to him, members of the association, who sail on board trawlers confirmed that sea robbery, molestation and maiming of seafarers and other crew has reduced, even as he noted that there has been a steady drop in the illicit act perpetrated by sea robbers on Nigerian waters.
He disclosed further that, in the last three years, cases of attack on members of his association have dropped, a situation the merchant navy association boss said has created an enabling environment for the operators.
Alalade also lauded measures put in place by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other security agencies on the waters for stemming the tides of piracy at sea.
He however called on government to encourage indigenous ship owners to acquire more ships, noting that the environment is unfavourable to the local operators.
He told our correspondent that: "The level of sea piracy has reduced in our waters to the barest minimum, most especially in our region and it is a pass mark to the administration and the government"
"We no longer have reports as we used to in time past from our members"
"When we compare reports of sea robberies on our members since 2010, we discovered that there is a sharp drop on a yearly basis and the records for 2015 show that this year's attack is low compared to last year and the year before", he added.
Speaking further, he stressed that, “reports from our fishing members show that it has reduced drastically because before now, on a monthly basis we get reports of attack on trawlers by sea robbers, but for now in real terms it has reduced. "
He however noted that the collaboration between the Air Force, Navy and NIMASA is paying-off on account of reports from members in the fishing zone of the union, he also called on the government to support all relevant agencies at sea to do more in the area of safety and security.
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