Following the decision of international vessels to abandon Nigerian waters due to alleged unfavorable policies by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) says it is partnering relevant agencies to ensure that the vessels return back to Nigerian waters.
President of NISA, Capt. Niyi Labinjo told Shipping Position Daily that dialogue is currently ongoing between his association, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the CBN.
Following the decision of international vessels to abandon Nigerian waters due to alleged unfavorable policies by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Shipowners Association (NISA) says it is partnering relevant agencies to ensure that the vessels return back to Nigerian waters.
President of NISA, Capt. Niyi Labinjo told Shipping Position Daily that dialogue is currently ongoing between his association, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Ministry of Transport, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the CBN.
Labinjo lamented that more than 500 vessels that are supposed to anchor at Nigerian ports have now diverted their activities to offshore Lome, thereby killing Nigeria's Cabotage trade.
The NISA president alleged that arms dealing, narcotics and human trafficking are all illegal acts that are being perpetrated offshore Lome. He advised the new administration not to allow the act to continue, saying that previous government watched for five years without doing anything.
Labinjo a however assured that, "there is a lot of discussions going on between us and the Federal Ministry of Transport, NIMASA, DPR and CBN"
"It is wrong for vessels to put in Lagos as destination port and at the end of the day stay in Togo or Cotonou. When a vessel leaves Rotterdam port for Nigeria, the Bill of Laden will be sent to Nigeria, if such a vessel now stops at Lome to discharge, it is criminal"
"It is only Nigerian agencies that must open such cargo, if not, a crime has been committed, it means that all the products brought to Nigeria from Lome are smuggled products, there is no terminal or refinery in Lome, so how can somebody say he went to buy products offshore Lome, what they have gone to do is smuggling" he said.
He pointed out that this is the awareness that NISA under his watch is creating in order to stop the act, stressing that any ship going to lift product offshore Lome must not bring her Bill of Laden to Nigeria claiming to have imported product.
Labinjo said that NISA is going to ensure that an end is put to the illegal act of vessels anchoring offshore Lome, saying this is the first step in ensuring that Cabotage Act works in Nigeria.
"During the fuel subsidy scam, the government sent people to offshore Lome and it was recommended that it is a scam and it must stop"
"This is the first step of ensuring that Cabotage works, because if they come to Nigeria, they will be within Nigerian jurisdiction, if they are within Nigeria's jurisdiction, they cannot do so many things, our customs will get onboard, they will pay moneys due to our customs, NIMASA, NPA, DPR, NDLEA and then Nigerian vessels can go and load from them"
"This will affect the country's economy in no small measure", he stated.
Meanwhile, providers of support service for vessels at sea, have lamented the effects of oil vessels not calling at Nigerian ports again.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily, a water transporter, Mr. Owolabi Omotayo called on President Muhammadu Buhari administration to ensure that it provides friendly policies that will encourage vessels that have abandoned Nigerian waters to return back.
He noted that the unfriendly policies of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration has led to many ships abandoning Nigerian waters for neighboring countries of Cotonou and Togo.
He said that the policy of the government, especially in terms of security has driven away most of the vessels calling at the port.
Specifically, he condemned the security contract by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) the Anchorage Security Firm and the Global West Vessel Specialist Limited.
Owolabi alleged that the constant harassment by these security contracted companies contributed to factors that made vessels to stop calling at Nigerian jetties. He called on President Buhari to revoke those contracts.
According to him, some of the companies do not operate in line with International Maritime Organization laws, and that whenever a vessel is apprehended; they are more interested in slamming high charges in dollars on such vessels.
He said that these measures are not obtainable in other parts of the world and that the vessels have stopped coming, thereby causing huge losses to Nigerian economy.
"The government really has to look into the policy of the past administration in the maritime sector and make the maritime environment more friendly, especially in terms of security for vessels coming to access our ports, we have a lot of policy somersault in the past administration"
"The maritime sector is the gateway to the economy so the policies has to be friendly in terms of IMO laws"
"Due to the policy of the past administration, a lot of vessels have decided not to be patronizing our ports and anchorage due to the stringent policy and other activities of our government agencies working outside IMO laws" he said.
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