MV BUA CEMENT 1: Report Indicts Bua Terminals

Even as the  Maritime Workers  Union of Nigeria insists that Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) insists that the report of the committee which it set up to investigate the face-off over the activities of one of the terminal operators in Port Harcourt port; BUA Ports and Terminal, it has been confirmed that the committee turned in a damaging verdict on the activities of the company.
The union is already threatening to commence another round of industrial unrests in Port Harcourt and it has already given Nigerian Ports Authourity an ultimatum to resolve the matter or face the risk of activities at the Port Harcourt port being crippled.
The MWUN has two vibrant branch that are directly involved in daily port operations, while another one has its activities having direct bearing on shipping operations.
While its NPA branch and dockworkers branch are involved in port operations, the shipping and courier branch are employees of the various shipping and allied companies, a situation which makes the union’s industrial action to always have a devastating effect on port and shipping operations. 
Although, NPA was yet to react to the threat as at press time, a copy of the report which was given exclusively to Shipping Position Weekly revealed that the workers were not just ‘crying wolves’ and that the controversial ship which also doubles as a cement factory indeed has foreigners on board who are engaged in activities that are supposed to be reserved for Nigerian seamen and dockworkers.  
Specifically, the committee which comprise of NPA officials, officials of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) as well as representatives of the MWUN touched on the composition of the crew and staff on board the ship, saying that the Crew list is made up of “15 seamen and 28 Sri – Lankan Crew List which consist of persons engaged as Factory workers”, and adding specifically that “the list consist of three (3) Greece nationals and 12 Ukrainians nationals, however all of the 28 persons addressed as factory crew by BUA management are from Sri-Lanka (foreigners)”.
On the strength of its findings, the committee which was chaired by general manager, operations at NPA, Mr. Monsur Ajala recommended that the company should relocate its ship to a dedicated terminal and vacate the common user facility.
The committee whose report is still top secret also lampooned BUA for negating the provision of the Cabotage law and recommended that the Srilankans and other foreigners who are engaged on board the ship should be replaced by Nigerians.
(Please, see detailed report on page 11 and full interview with the PG, MWUN, Comrade Tony Nted and the Group Executive Director, BUA International, Mr Chimaobi Madukwe on pages 6 and 7).