The Vice-President, Nigerian Hydrographic Society, Mr. Olumide Omotoso, yesterday said that the removal of wrecked vessels and ships from the marine environment was crucial to the growth of the sector.
Omotoso told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had removed 30 wrecks from the Nigerian marine environment in the last two years.
“In the last two years, the NPA has removed about 30 wrecked vessels and ships both in the Lagos Pilotage District and the Port-Harcourt-Bonny Pilotage District, “ he said.
The Vice-President, Nigerian Hydrographic Society, Mr. Olumide Omotoso, yesterday said that the removal of wrecked vessels and ships from the marine environment was crucial to the growth of the sector.
Omotoso told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had removed 30 wrecks from the Nigerian marine environment in the last two years.
“In the last two years, the NPA has removed about 30 wrecked vessels and ships both in the Lagos Pilotage District and the Port-Harcourt-Bonny Pilotage District, “ he said.
Omotoso said every coastal nation must have a strong and vibrant hydrographic department to ensure that the waterways were clean of wrecks and derelicts.
He said that beside the aesthetics, the issues of corrosion, pollution and all the negative effects of wrecks like navigational hazards in the water must also be considered.
The official said that the removal of wrecks out of the water meant a lot to the nation and in terms of the resources in the water.
“All over the world, when you go through coastal nations you see that wrecks are not a site to behold.
“So, for us to have a beautiful coastal environment, wrecks have to be removed.
“By wreck removal, we will also be protecting the resources that we have under the water, “ Omotoso said.
He also said that priority for removal of wrecks was based on the location, but aside from priority, all wrecks must be removed from the marine environment.
“Our concern is about prioritising the wrecks that constitute danger to navigation. The high priority areas fall within the navigational part in the water or the one very close to it.
“We also give priority to wrecks on the slope and those that will also fall into it when we carry out our dredging works, but all will be removed with time, “ he said.
Omotoso said that huge budgets were needed to remove wrecks and it was only realistic to carry out the work gradually.
“Removing wrecked vessels from the marine environment costs millions of dollars, so it must work with budgets, “ the official said.
He said it was also important to note that removing wrecks could be technical process that would involve teams of professionals.
“Again, even if the money is available you cannot remove all the wrecks at once, it takes a while.
“Working against the dynamics of the water can be challenging and it demands guiding the wreck against drifting. It can be time consuming, “ he said.
He said that about 20 different professionals were needed to remove a wreck.
Omotoso said there would be workers for underwater welding and cutting, divers and marine engineers.
He said that NIMASA was saddled with the responsibility of receiving wrecks whenever the NPA removed them from the water.
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