NIMASA Urged To Stop Hawking On Nigerian Vessels

Even as the implementation of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006 has officially kicked-off in Nigeria, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has been charged to ensure that it enforces strict regulations on Nigerian vessels at sea.

Chairman of a water transporters’ group in Lagos; Mr. Owolabi Omotayo who spoke with Shipping Position Daily on the take–off of MLC, said that there are lots of unwholesome activities such as hawking of wares on ships on Nigerian waters.

Owolabi alleged that seafarers in Nigeria are not properly regulated and their conduct needs to be checked from time to time by NIMASA.

According to him, the regulatory authorities have to pay unscheduled visits to vessels at random and see for themselves and must ensure that they enforce appropriate regulations.

Speaking further, he said "seafarers in Nigeria are not properly regulated, if you go to the local vessels at sea, the mode of operation adopted by our seafarers aboard the local vessels is questionable and not up to international standard".

"A situation where you find people hawking on board vessels is not acceptable, you must not allow hawkers to go about selling wares on vessels, especially as we have highly inflammable products, this still happens on our vessels".

"All what is needed is that the regulatory authorities have to pay visit to these vessels at random and see for themselves and must ensure that they enforce the regulation".

"The watches have to be kept, the vessels have to be clean, the gangway have to be okay, the mess room have to be okay, they need to go and check them occasionally" he said.